The Real World, New York
by Leijona
Summary: Seven strangers, one house. How would you handle three months in the Big Apple? Features Nathan, Brooke, Lucas, Haley, Rachel, Chris and Peyton. Couples undecided. Kind of AU.
1. Episode 1 The first day

_**Disclaimer:**__I do not own One Tree Hill or The Real World._

_**AN:**__Instead of finishing Everything You Want first, I wrote the first chapter for a new fic that I've been playing around with in my mind for a while now. It's bascially The Real World, One Tree Hill Style. The story is marked AU, because none of the characters know each other when they first enter the house, but they have the same interests and backgrounds as on the show. I really hope you will like it, but please let me know what you think and if there's anything you'd like to see different. If you want me to continue with the fic in the first place :)_

_**Summary:**__Seven strangers, one house. How would you handle three months in the Big Apple? Couples undecided._

* * *

Nathan; _"This is the true story…'  
_  
Brooke; _"Of seven strangers…'  
_  
Lucas; _"Picked to live in a house…'  
_  
Haley; _"Work together and have their lives taped…'  
_  
Rachel; _"To find out what happens…'  
_  
Chris; _"When people stop being polite…'  
_  
Peyton; _"And start getting real.'  
__  
The Real World, New York_

* * *

'Are you Nathan?'

Nathan looked up and was met by smiling brown eyes. He nodded, 'Yes, I am. And you are?' He got up and held out his hand, which the girl took after she put her bags down.

'Brooke Davis,' she smiled at Nathan and gave him a wink, 'I believe you are my new roommate.'

After he nodded to confirm her statement, Brooke looked around the airport, trying to see where they could get a cab. The producers had only given them an address, so it was up to them to find out how to get there. 'Shall we go? I can't wait to see the house!'

'Sure.' Nathan grabbed his bag and when Brooke didn't make any attempt to pick up hers, he sighed and shook his head, but got hers as well. She had a lot of bags, for just three months, he thought, as he threw his own bag over his shoulder. He followed her outside and waited until she had stopped a cab. Obviously they were going to pull over a lot sooner if she was standing at the curb.

'Come on, roommate!'

Brooke interrupted his thoughts by clapping her hands and gesturing him to move forward. Nathan made sure he got a firm grip on all the bags and made his way over to the car. After he put everything in the trunk he sat down in the backseat, next to Brooke and listened as she gave the driver the address.

'I can't wait till we get there!' Brooke clapped her hands once again and smiled at Nathan, who just gave her a reserved nod. She shook her head, 'Well, aren't you just excited to be here.'

'What?' Nathan looked at Brooke, who stuck out her tongue at him.

'Cheer up, Nathan. Make an effort. Make these three months worth remembering.' Brooke leaned back and looked through the window, seeing all the familiar sights of New York passing by. It was hard for her to understand how anyone could not be excited about something like this. How great was it that she would have to live in a house with six other people? People she had never met before, people that for sure would be very interesting. At least she hoped so.

'Whatever.' Nathan also leaned back and looked out of the other window. If everyone in the house was going to be as cheery as Brooke Davis, he wasn't sure he would even make it to three months. He sighed and closed his eyes, praying the ride would be over soon.

_**- The Real World -**_

Haley sighed and looked at her watch for the third time in five minutes; why weren't the other two roommates here yet. She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, thinking about everything she had left behind to come here. If she was honest, this really was a case of bad timing at its best. She had just found out a record label was willing to sign her, which meant she could start working on her album, when she got the call that she was accepted to the show. Having to choose between two great opportunities, she chose to join the show rather than to start recording an album, hoping that the fact that she was about to be seen on national television would help her in the music industry after the show was done. If not, she would go back to her job in the café, where she had been working for the last eight years. She shook her head, trying to get rid of her doubts, opened her eyes and saw a tall redhead standing in front of her.

'Good morning! I was wondering whether or not I should wake you up,' Rachel held out her hand, 'I'm Rachel by the way.'

Haley took the girl's hand and tried to smile, 'I'm Haley. And you're late.'

'Nice to meet you too, grumpy,' Rachel sat down in one of the plastic chairs next to Haley and shook her head, 'But aren't we supposed to meet another one of our roommates here too?'

'I guess so.' Haley took out the information sheet she was sent earlier this week and went over it again. It had all the information she needed to get to the house and also said she was to meet up with two other roommates at the airport before she could go there.

'So hold your breath, grumpy. You can yell at him or her later for being _really_ late,' Rachel leaned back and crossed her arms. Nice way to start of the three months they would have to live together. She wondered if Haley always was so _on time_. Rachel let her eyes dart across the arrivals hall of the airport and saw a guy making his way to them. She nudged Haley, 'I'll bet that's him,' and nodded towards the guy.

Haley followed Rachel's eyes and felt her mouth drop. That guy was so over the top it wasn't even funny anymore. He had a pair of aviator sunglasses on and was wearing an old leather jacket, cowboy boots and more rings than she had ever seen on a guy. She shook her head, 'Oh my.'

'I can see you ladies are impressed with Chris Keller,' Chris took his sunglasses off and gave them a wink, 'Well, Chris Keller can say the same about you.' He nodded in approval and put his bag down.

'Who's Chris Keller?' Rachel ignored the man and looked at Haley, giving her a wink, hoping the grumpy girl would understand what she was trying to do.

Haley looked at her sheet again, playing along with Rachel's joke. 'Apparently, he's one of our roommates,' she folded the piece of paper again and put it in her pocket, 'I wonder where he is, though.'

'Yeah, me too,' Rachel grinned as she looked at the guy, 'Or are you Chris Keller?'

'Chris Keller is so ready to go.' Chris shook his head at the girls' comments and grabbed his bags, making his way to the exit and not caring if his roommates were following him or not.

Rachel burst out laughing 'Why on earth is he talking about himself in third person?' She grabbed her bags as well and followed him outside.

'I have no idea.' Haley shook her head and laughed, but making sure she wasn't falling too far behind. She joined the other two at the curb and looked at Chris, 'How about Chris Keller gets a cab for us?'

_**- The Real World -**_

'You must be Peyton.' Lucas walked over to the girl who was standing outside of the airport, looking around just as much as he was minutes earlier.

'Yep,' Peyton held out her hand, 'And you are?'

'Lucas Scott,' he shook her hand, 'Nice to meet you.'

'Same here.' Peyton smiled. She got her bag and walked over to the curb, holding out her hand to stop a cab, 'Ready to go?'

'You bet.' Lucas stood next to her and waited for the yellow cab to pull over. He opened the trunk and put in his bag, before he took over hers and put it in there as well, 'Let's go.'

Peyton sat down on the backseat and felt nervous. Being around people never was one of her strong points and now she had to be around six strangers for the next three months. She had applied for the show as a test, to see if she could manage to make it through these three months, without building up more walls around her. She wanted to be able to open up to people more and figured that participating in this show was a great opportunity to do so.

'What are you thinking about?' Lucas asked, after he had given the driver the address. He looked at Peyton, curious to find out what her story was.

'That's kind of a personal question, don't you think?' Peyton immediately regretted that answer. She had come here to open up and the first thing she did was push people away. She cleared her throat, 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. It's just, I barely know you, so, do you think we could take this whole 'getting to know each other thing' a bit slow? I'm not that good with new people.'

'Well, I think you're doing just great,' Lucas smiled at her, 'But I'll save the personal questions for later. Do you think two and a half months from now would be a good time to bring them up again?'

'You're funny,' Peyton laughed and nodded, 'But yeah, two and a half months from now sounds good. I think I can manage that.'

**_- The Real World -_**

'_This_ is fabulous!' Brooke squealed in delight when she got out of the cab and saw the house she was going to live in for the next three months. It was beautiful. It was a three story house, with a white exterior and big windows. She waited for Nathan to grab their bags, before she made her way inside.

Nathan dropped the bags in the living room and looked around. This place was huge. The living room held three giant sofas, along with a couple of coffee tables and a pool table. There were lots of paintings on the walls and he smiled when he saw the big flat screen TV hanging on one of the walls in the living room. He made his way over to the kitchen and smiled. Just the way he liked it; there was a big refrigerator, a big stove and a big table that could easily sit ten people. He looked at Brooke who had followed him, 'I like it.'

'Me too,' Brooke clapped her hands and smiled, 'I _so_ love this house!' She walked around the first floor and found the confession room as well as a booth where there was telephone, so they could call home. She returned to the kitchen again and looked at Nathan, 'I don't know what you're gonna do, but I'm going to make sure I have a nice bed to sleep in.'

'Wait!' Nathan grabbed Brooke's arm, 'Don't you think you should wait for the others to get here?'

Brooke shrugged 'Why? First come, first serve.' She was about to make her way upstairs, when she heard people talking outside. Brooke looked at Nathan with a raised eyebrow and stood still 'I guess "the others",' she air-quoted the word, 'Are here.'

Nathan shook his head and sighed. He probably just had to get used to Brooke and her ideas of the world, but for now, she sort of annoyed the crap out of him.

**_- The Real World -_**

Haley walked over to the front door 'Isn't this great?'

'It's awesome.' Rachel joined her and waited for Haley to open the door. When she did, Rachel walked right past her and was surprised by the size of the house. It was so big compared to the two bedroom apartment she had been living in the last couple of years. She heard voices coming from the kitchen, so she dropped her bags and made her way over there.

Haley shook her head and followed Rachel inside. She was overwhelmed by the house. It was so beautifully decorated and so big. Haley nodded in approval and looked back at Chris 'Come on, Chris Keller, let's meet our roommates.'

'Sure.' Chris followed her to the kitchen and liked what he saw; there was a brunette sitting on the stairs that was so hot, that he was sure there would be some sparks flying within the next three months. He walked over to the girl and flashed his famous smile, 'Chris Keller is happy to meet you.'

Brooke kinked her eyebrow and looked past him at Rachel and Haley.

Rachel shrugged 'Yeah, he's, weird, that way. But I think he likes you.'

Haley laughed at Rachel's comment and walked over to Nathan, 'Hi, I'm Haley.'

'Nathan,' he took her hand and gave her a nod before he walked over to the other girl, 'Nice to meet you.'

'You bet,' Rachel shook his hand and licked her lips, 'I'm Rachel.'

'Ok.' Nathan said slowly, not sure what to think of her. He continued towards Chris and held out his hand, 'Nice to meet you, I'm Nathan.'

'Chris Keller,' Chris took Nathan's hand, 'has met his competition.'

Haley smiled as she gave Brooke a hand, 'I'm Haley.'

'Brooke,' Brooke smiled. Haley seemed like a nice girl. Unlike that Rachel person, who went after Nathan immediately. It wasn't difficult to see who would end up as the house slut of this series, Brooke thought. She made her way down the stairs and stopped in front of Rachel, 'Hi. Brooke.'

'Rachel.' Rachel folded her arms and checked out her competition. She had already decided Haley was way too plain to be any kind of match, but Brooke was hot and probably after Nathan too, so things could get interesting.

Before anyone could say anything, they heard other people coming inside.

'Oh wow,' Peyton looked around, 'This is awesome, Lucas. I think we are going to like it here.'

'I think we are.' Lucas closed the door behind him and put his bags next to all the other ones in the living room. He looked around and nodded in approval, 'This looks good.'

'We're in the kitchen!' Brooke called out to the newcomers.

'Let's go.' Lucas gestured for Peyton to follow him and made his way over to the kitchen.

Peyton was a bit overwhelmed when she was met by five people she had never seen before. She cleared her throat and gave a small wave, 'Hi, I'm Peyton,' deciding this was better than greeting everyone individually.

'I'm Rachel,' Rachel nodded towards Peyton and walked over to Lucas, 'And you are?'

'Lucas,' he shook her hand, 'Nice to meet you.'

'Same here, Lucas, same here.'

Lucas decided to follow Peyton's example and looked around the room, 'I'm Lucas.'

'Hi, I'm Haley,' Haley waved at both the newcomers, 'So I guess we're complete.'

'I'm Brooke,' Brooke nodded towards both Lucas and Peyton, 'And I say that it's time to get organised. I am going to pick out my bed.' She turned around and rushed upstairs.

'Oh like hell she is.' Rachel quickly ran after Brooke and made her way upstairs as well. She wasn't going to let Brooke get the best bedroom.

'Chris Keller is going up with the ladies,' Chris looked at the rest and held up his hands, 'Come on people, let's go.'

'I think it's best if I go get myself a bed far, far away from that guy.' Haley pointed at Chris, who was almost upstairs, and followed him.

'I hear you.' Lucas walked after Haley, thinking it was probably best to not share a bedroom with either Chris of Rachel. He was, however, interested in sharing a bedroom with Brooke. Something about her had caught his eye and he wanted to get to know her better.

'So,' Peyton sighed and looked at Nathan, 'I guess that leaves us.' She was struck by the intense blue colour of his eyes and couldn't help but smile

Nathan shrugged, 'I can pretty much crash everywhere, so it's no big deal.' He looked at Peyton and smiled.

'Me too, but I prefer sleeping in an actual bed,' Peyton grinned, 'And I really don't want to end up in the same room as Chris.' She waited for Nathan to join her and together they made their way upstairs.

'First room on the left is mine!' Brooke rushed passed them to get her bags. She was happy with the room she had picked. It held three beds, which she shared with Haley and Lucas. And although she wasn't sure about Haley, Brooke thought Lucas was hot and in the end, she was just glad she didn't share a room with Rachel or Chris.

Instead, Rachel and Chris ended up sharing a room. It was a big one and was divided in two by a couple of screens with pictures of New York on them.

Rachel was content with the sleeping arrangements, thinking that Chris would probably leave her alone. He seemed more interested in Brooke and Haley, which Rachel didn't mind. She was more into Lucas and Nathan anyway, especially Nathan with his perfect body. Rachel smiled as she passed him in the hallway when she on her way downstairs to get her bags, 'You can sleep in my bed, gorgeous.'

Nathan shook his head, 'No thanks.' Rachel sure wasn't the shy one, but he'd rather share a room with Lucas or Peyton. When he found out Lucas was already sharing with Haley and Brooke, Nathan continued down the hall and found there was only one room left. It was a small room, no doubt, but it held two single beds and had a tiny balcony on the south side of the house. The sun was pouring in and Nathan sat down on one of the beds.

'I guess this means we're sharing.' Peyton walked in to the room and sat down on the other bed.

'Are you ok with that?' Nathan asked, trying to probe her thoughts, 'I can always ask if somebody wants to switch?'

'Nah, it's ok.' Peyton smiled. She got up and opened the door that led to the balcony. She stepped outside and immediately she was surrounded by all the sounds that you expect to hear in a big city. She leaned forward and looked up and down the street, not noticing Nathan had joined her.

'I've never been here before.' Nathan stood next to Peyton and looked around.

'Me neither.'

* * *

**Confession Booth:**

Nathan - '_I'm excited. Meeting all these new people, who don't know you, it's good. You get a chance to start all over again. And you get to choose what you tell these people about yourself, so if you don't want to, you don't have to tell the entire truth.'_

Brooke - '_Lucas is hot. Like really, really hot. He has this broody look on his face that makes him that more interesting. Nathan isn't too bad either, but I'm going for Lucas right now. And I will succeed, promise you that. Chris, he's just weird. The girls seem nice, although Rachel is the girl I would so hate if we were in high school together. But, we'll see. Whatever happens, I'm ready for this adventure to start.'_

Lucas - '_So many different people in one house, it's going to be interesting. Haley seems like a nice girl, just like Peyton. I think Nathan and I will get along, he seems like a good guy. I just hope Chris will leave me alone, really, that guy is, well, special. Rachel is a bit, you know, in your face, but I think that deep down, she's a good person. And Brooke, wWell, I'd really like to get to know her.'_

Haley - '_I hope this will all work out. Really. I mean, I basically gave up a music career for this, so it better be good, right? The other girls are very different from me. Well, Peyton maybe not so much, but Brooke and Rachel definitely are. I think that Brooke really is just a good person; she's very caring and I'm happy that we're sharing a room. I just hope we all get along, you know. No big fights or anything.'_

Rachel - '_I'm in New York, baby! I can't wait to go out, like, every single night! These are going to be my three months and I'm gonna live life to the fullest. Oh yeah, the roommates, well, they're ok, I guess. I mean, Lucas and Nathan are just hot. Chris is Chris, I guess. And the girls, well, to be honest, they're boring. But I'm in New York, baby! What the hell do I care?'_

Chris - '_Chris Keller is liking the ladies. And the scenery. So Chris Keller is probably going to enjoy himself very much these next three months.'_

Peyton - '_It's so exciting and scary at the same time. You know what I'd really like to do? Lock myself in my room and listen to music for a while. Just to calm my nerves. All these people have such strong personalities, that I'm worried that something is going to happen. I just hope we all will respect each other and learn from each other and help each other through the tough days, you know. I'd like that.'_


	2. Episode 2 The first week

_**AN:**__Twenty freakin' reviews on the first chapter! You guys rock! That's just awesome!__  
__It was really fun to read your thoughts on the fic and especially who you think should end up as a couple :) I will definitely take that in account when writing the next couple of chapters.__  
__So, here's the second chapter! Nothing too exciting, though. We'll see what happened in the first week and what everybody's opinions on the other roommates are. I figured it might be a good way to do the story like that - cover one week in each chapter and show little pieces of everything that has happened that week. Along with the confessions of the roommates.__  
__Of course, I'm curious to hear what you think of this chapter and the set up. Remember - feedback, whether positive or negative (but rather positive :) ) is always a good thing. __Thanks!_

* * *

Nathan; _'This is the true story…'_

Brooke; _'Of seven strangers…'_

Lucas; _'Picked to live in a house…'_

Haley; _'Work together and have their lives taped…'_

Rachel; _'To find out what happens…'_

Chris; _'When people stop being polite…'_

Peyton; _'And start getting real.'_

_The Real World, New York_

* * *

Brooke_ - _'_We decided it would be nice to share at least one dinner together as roommates, so on the first evening we all went out to this restaurant called "Cubanita". It was fun. It was a nice chance to talk to each other, but of course Rachel couldn't stop herself from harassing Nathan all evening. I mean, yeah, the guy is hot, like, really, _really_ hot, but you don't have to act all skanky to get his attention, right? Unless if that is what he's into, of course.'_

Rachel made sure to sit next to Nathan when everybody was picking out their seats. Peyton sat down on her other side and she noticed that Brooke, who was sitting opposite to her, was watching her every move. Rachel smirked, put her mouth close to Nathan's ear and licked her lips, 'Wanna do shots later?'

Nathan pulled away and looked at her 'No thanks.' He watched her as she sat down next to him and wondered what her story was. From what he had seen today, she was a pretty straight-forward girl, not afraid of people judging her or not liking her. But she could be a little in your face at times, something that he didn't like all that much. He looked across the table, where Chris sat and couldn't help but smile. That guy was so too much of everything that it was extremely funny. He could tell Chris was happy to sit next to Brooke, as he had casually dropped his arm on her chair and tried to pay close attention to everything she was saying.

'So, Lucas,' Brooke looked past Chris at Lucas, who was sitting at the head of the table, 'What's your story?'

Lucas shrugged, 'Well, I'm a writer, but I'm in-between books right now. I needed some time off, get some inspiration, you know. What better way to do that than to spend three months, with six total strangers in a house in New York?'

'Are you going to use us in your new book?' Chris looked at Lucas, 'Because if you are, you might want to talk to Chris Keller's manager first. Chris Keller doesn't really do books.'

'I'm surprised Chris Keller even knows what books are.' Brooke said under her breath, making Nathan, Peyton and Haley laugh. She shook her head and looked at Lucas again, 'What kind of books do you write?'

'Novels, non-fiction stuff mostly.'

'Anything we could know?' Peyton asked from across the table.

'You may have heard of The Comet?' Lucas looked around the table and saw Haley, Peyton and Rachel nod, 'That's mine.'

'I loved that book!' Rachel smiled at Lucas and gave him a wink, 'So you're pretty famous, huh?'

Lucas smiled 'I guess.' He looked at Brooke, who rolled her eyes, nodding towards Rachel. He laughed, but quickly looked at Rachel, to see if she had seen them making fun of her. She hadn't as she was already focusing her attention on Nathan again.

'What about you, Brooke?' Lucas took a sip of his drink, 'What's your story?'

'Well, I am the owner and main designer of Clothes over Bros,' she looked at Lucas who shook his head, not knowing the label, 'God, it's only _the_ hottest label for young women, Lucas Scott,' Brooke smiled, 'But it's ok that you never heard of it, you're not really my target group anyway.'

'So, Nathan,' Rachel had enough of Brooke being the centre point of attention, so she interrupted her, turning her back towards Peyton, facing Nathan, 'Tell me, do you have a girlfriend?'

'Straight forward much?' Peyton said softly. She shook her head and looked at Haley, who sighed and silently agreed. Peyton was, however, curious to hear Nathan's answer, so she gave Haley a wink and held her finger to her mouth.

Haley smiled in return and also waited for Nathan to answer. To be honest, she also thought he was good looking, just like the rest of the girls obviously and she was curious to hear if he already had a girlfriend or not.

'What if I did?' Nathan looked at Rachel, 'I don't think that would stop you.'

Rachel threw her head back and laughed 'You got that right,' she shook her head and looked at Nathan, smiling, '_Nothing_ can stop me.'

Haley_ - _'_I don't understand why Rachel is throwing herself at Nathan like that. He's obviously not interested. She should try her luck with Chris, it seems like he is down for stuff like that. Anyway, dinner was good fun. It was nice to get a chance to talk to everyone and just have a good time together. Things got a bit awkward though, after we got home and someone suggested we'd have a drink together before going to bed.'_

'I got the tequila!' Brooke came rushing back from the kitchen and hopped on the couch, sitting down in-between Lucas and Nathan, 'How about one of you gets us some glasses?' She smiled at Lucas, who nodded and got up, leaving her with Nathan.

Chris, who stood over at the pool table picked up a cue and without asking if anyone wanted to join, made a shot, pretty satisfied with the outcome. He was about to walk to the other side of the table to attempt a second shot, when someone stopped him by grabbing the cue.

'Oh come on, Chris Keller,' Haley positioned the cue and aimed, 'It's no fun to play alone, now is it?' She made the shot and got two balls in the pockets 'See?' She repositioned the cue and made another shot, this time without luck. Haley handed Chris the cue, 'Your turn.'

'Chris Keller will show you how it's done,' he bent over the table, pulled the cue back and hit the white ball with such force it bumped into the edges of the table a couple of times, helping three balls into three different pockets on the way, 'See? Chris Keller never disappoints.'

Haley laughed and applauded, 'Well done, Chris Keller,' she leaned against the wall and waited for him to have another go, 'Can I ask you something?'

'Sure, you can always ask. Don't know if Chris Keller will answer, though.' Chris aimed and shot. He turned around and leaned against the table, not waiting to see if any balls went in.

'What's up with this whole 'Chris Keller' thing? I can only imagine how tiring it must be to talk about yourself in third person all the time.' Haley looked at Chris, her eyebrow kinked and waited for his reply. And although she really was interested in his answer, the main reason for asking was to let him know she wasn't taking him all that serious. She could see he was about to answer her when they were interrupted by Brooke yelling something about playing a game.

'Come on guys, let's play "I never"!' Brooke filled the cups that Lucas had brought back from the kitchen and gestured for everyone to take one.

Chris was glad Brooke had interrupted before he could answer and followed Haley over to the living room. To be honest, there really wasn't an explanation as to why he did it; he just liked doing it because it annoyed people. He sat down next to Rachel and also grabbed a cup.

'I didn't know we were back in high school.' Peyton sighed as she grabbed one of the cups. She walked back and sat down next to Haley, shaking her head at the stupidity of the game. But, she was still trying to make an effort, which was why she was playing along in the first place.

Brooke looked at Peyton, wondering why on the earth that girl was so defensive and sulky all the time. She looked at the others and waited for Nathan to grab a cup. He seemed hesitant and Brooke looked at him, nodding towards the only cup that was left, hoping he would get the hint.

'I really shouldn't be doing this,' Nathan shook his head and wanted to get up, but Brooke stopped him by pulling him down again. 'Brooke!' he heard the anger in his own voice and took deep breaths trying to calm down, knowing from previous experience that things could get ugly if he didn't, 'Let me _go_.'

'Oh come on, Nate,' Brooke held up her cup, 'It's just a game.'

'Yeah, come on Nathan,' Rachel looked at him, 'Show us what you're made off.'

Nathan shook his head and grabbed Brooke's wrist, making her let go of him, 'I don't like games, ok, so just give it up.' He walked out of the living room and headed upstairs, to his bedroom.

'Well, well. What a party-pooper,' Brooke shook her head, 'Anyway, I'll go first! I've never been so drunk I woke up in a place I didn't recognise.'

Rachel, Peyton, Chris and Lucas all took a sip.

Rachel_ - __'Playing 'I never' was fun. I learned a lot about my roommates. And not just the stupid stuff, you know, like how Chris once had a threesome with a couple of cheerleaders and how Brooke once kissed a girl and all that. But that Lucas is afraid he'll never write another book again, or how Peyton is afraid to let people in, although all of us already knew that. That girl is so defensive, it's crazy. I don't think it's easy for her to live her life like that. And I thought Nathan acted a bit strange tonight, you know, like he doesn't want to be here, at _all_. I really wonder what he's hiding.'_

* * *

Lucas - '_Nathan walking away was pretty much the smartest thing any of us did that night. I mean, the game was fun and all, but a bit raunchy at times, especially when Chris brought his cheerleader story up. And to be honest, it really wasn't that much fun anymore after both Haley and Peyton went to bed. Rachel and Brooke were pretty competitive at times and very mean towards each other. I guess that's a girl thing, because all the guys seem to be getting along just fine. So that was the end of our first day in the house. We all spend the next couple of days exploring the city as only Rachel and Chris had been here before. It was a nice way to get to know everybody a bit better.' _

'Haley, come on!' Lucas looked at his watch one more time and waited for her to come down. He already started walking towards the door and was just in the process of opening it when Haley appeared behind him.

'What are you waiting for?' She laughed when she saw Lucas' face and pushed him outside, closing the door behind her, 'Let's go!'

She hooked arms with him as they made their way to the train, which was going to take them to the Metropolitan. It was a museum she had been dying to see ever since she heard she was going to New York and Haley was glad Lucas wanted to come along today. He seemed like a nice guy but in the last couple of days she hadn't really gotten a chance to spend much time with him as Brooke always seemed to keep him to herself.

'So,' Haley looked at Lucas as they leaned against the wall, waiting for the train to come, 'What's going on between you and Brooke?'

Lucas felt his cheeks redden, but tried to play it cool, 'What do you mean?'

'Oh, come on,' Haley laughed and smacked his arm, 'She's all over you, Luke.'

'Maybe,' Lucas looked at Haley and smiled, 'To be honest, I have no idea what she wants. One minute we're having a good time together, talking about all sorts of things and the next minute she'll be all over Nathan and Chris, completely forgetting that I'm in the same room.'

'Maybe she's just insecure,' Haley suggested, 'Maybe she just wants people to like her.'

'Yeah, maybe she is. But _I_ already like her. She just needs to let her guards down and stop acting like someone she's not.' Lucas stared at the tracks and noticed the train was approaching.

'It's not that easy to be who you really are, Lucas,' Haley followed Lucas in the train and sat down opposite to him, 'I bet she's really just a girl who wants to be liked and loved by everyone. She just doesn't know how to do that.'

Lucas sighed, 'I don't know, Haley.'

'Just give her a chance. She might surprise you,' Haley looked at Lucas, who nodded.

* * *

Nathan_ - _'_I know people think that I don't fit in here or that I don't want to be here. But that's not true. To be honest, there is nowhere on this world I'd rather be than in this house, with these six people who know nothing about me. Who know nothing about my past or about the mistakes I've made and who judge me only on the things they have seen in the last couple of days. I know most of them don't really like me, thinking I'm just an asshole who couldn't care less, but I don't mind. I'm glad that there are one or two roommates who see through that and who are willing to give me the time to be me and to tell my story.' _

'Where the hell is everybody?' Peyton said to herself, as she walked into the kitchen, not really surprised to find it empty. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and continued to the living room, where she found Nathan sleeping on the couch. She stood still and watched him for a while, somewhat worried about him. He seemed like a good guy, but he kept to himself very much and was hard to reach.

She smiled, looking at him, seeing how at peace he looked when he was sleeping. Peyton grabbed a blanket from the other couch and carefully draped it on Nathan, not wanting to wake him up. She heard the front door open and turned around to see who was coming in. She wasn't surprised when she saw it was Brooke. 'Hi.'

'Hey,' Brooke took off her shoes and walked over to Peyton, 'How are you?'

'I'm fine,' Peyton kept her voice low, 'You?'

'I'm very hungry, believe it or not,' Brooke smiled, 'I'm going to make breakfast, would you like some as well?'

'Sure,' Peyton followed Brooke into the kitchen and sat down at the table, 'Did you go out or something?'

'Yeah,' Brooke grabbed the toaster and put two slices of bread in, 'Rachel and I went clubbing yesterday.'

Brooke got out some plates and put them on the table. She hesitated and looked at Peyton, 'Do you think he wants some breakfast as well?' while nodding towards the living room.

Peyton shrugged, 'I don't know.' She smiled at Brooke, still surprised to hear that Brooke had gone out with Rachel the evening before. They hadn't been able to stand each other the first couple of days, but things seemed to have gotten better lately and now they were even clubbing together.

'Well, I'll make him breakfast anyway,' Brooke grabbed another plate and put it down next to Peyton, 'He can always _not_ eat it, right?' She took the bread out of the toaster and handed it to Peyton, before she got out the eggs and bacon and started making omelettes. 'Where is everybody?' Brooke looked at Peyton over her shoulder, while stirring the eggs.

'Uhm, let's see, I just found this note from Haley and Lucas,' Peyton pointed at the fridge, 'Saying they went to the Metropolitan. Nathan is sleeping on the couch and you and I are here,' She got up and grabbed a bottle of orange juice out from the fridge, 'I don't know where Rachel and Chris are, though. You?'

Brooke nodded, 'Rachel left the club with some male model just before I went home, so she's either having hot sex right now or on her way home with a major hangover. I have to idea where is Chris is, though.'

'Well, he's a big boy. He can take care of Chris Keller.' Peyton laughed and looked at Brooke, who grinned back at her. She grabbed a piece of bacon and took a bite before she headed towards the living room, 'I'm just going to try to wake Nathan up.'

Peyton_ - _'_I think I'm beginning to like it here. I mean, we all still have to get used to each other and get to know each other better, but it's only the first week. We'll manage. Brooke, for example, is completely different than I thought she was. Very caring and sweet, which she showed yesterday by making Nathan and me breakfast. And Haley is just a sweet girl who seems to be getting along with everybody. Like Lucas, who is really down to earth. I don't have very much in common with Chris and Rachel so far, but they're not mean or anything, so we'll manage._

* * *

'I noticed you brought a guitar into the house, do you play?' Haley asked Chris, as they both were having dinner in the kitchen. They had been living together for exactly one week now and although Haley had gotten to know most of her roommates, Chris still held some secrets.

'Yeah.' Chris said, without looking up.

'Well, Would you mind playing together later tonight?' Haley looked at Chris, 'I have written some new lyrics that could really use some music.'

'You sing?' Chris looked up, surprised.

'Yeah,' Haley smiled, 'I already have a demo out and there was this label who was interested in signing me, but I refused.'

'Why?' Chris got up and grabbed his plate, putting it in the dishwasher.

Haley shrugged, 'Because it was either that or coming here. And I hope that once this show airs they still want to sign me,' she also put her plate in the dishwasher and closed it, 'So, what do you say?'

'Well, to start, Chris Keller thinks it's pretty stupid that you let that offer go,' Chris folded his arms and looked at Haley, 'Chances like that don't come around very often.'

'I know.' Haley looked down and bit her lip.

'On the other hand,' Chris continued, 'You sure have some balls and Chris Keller likes that. So get your songs and we'll see what we can do.'

'Great!' Haley rushed upstairs, to her bedroom and took out her notebook. On the way down she passed Peyton, who looked at her curiously. Haley smiled at her and continued towards the kitchen, where Chris already had his guitar ready.

Peyton wondered what Haley was up to, so she followed her into the kitchen and leaned against the doorpost when she saw Chris sitting there as well, tuning his guitar. She smiled when she saw they were about to make music and closed her eyes as she heard the first couple of chords coming out. They started with a familiar song and soon Brooke and Lucas gathered behind Peyton, curious to see what was going on.

Brooke applauded once the song was over and walked over to Chris and Haley. 'That was really good, guys,' she smiled at Chris, 'Who would have known Chris Keller was such a great musician.'

'Not me, anyway,' Lucas also sat down at the table and looked at Haley, 'And your voice is amazing, Haley.'

'Thank you,' Haley smiled at her crowd and looked at Chris, 'You want to do one more?'

'Sure.' Chris nodded and started playing another familiar song, which Haley joined quickly. He smiled as he looked at his audience, knowing that music always was a great way to get people together.

Chris_ - _'_To be honest, Chris Keller had a pretty good time this week. Music has been my passion for years and it's great to see that there are other people who share that passion. Haley definitely is a great singer and it's a shame she had to turn down that record deal, but she'll make it. It was nice to sit down with her and play for a while. And I can tell Peyton is very interested in music as well, but she seems more like someone who listens to music rather than makes it herself. But you know, that doesn't matter. Music is love.'_


	3. Episode 3 The second week

_**AN: **__So much for updating every Sunday...__  
__Thanks for all the amazing review on the last chapter, guys! I'm still amazed by how much wonderful reviews I'm getting :) Thanks so much!__  
__I hope you'll like the next chapter. But please let me know what you think! __Love ya!_

* * *

Nathan; _'This is the true story…'_

Brooke; _'Of seven strangers…'_

Lucas; _'Picked to live in a house…'_

Haley; _'Work together and have their lives taped…'_

Rachel; _'To find out what happens…'_

Chris; _'When people stop being polite…'_

Peyton; _'And start getting real.'_

_The Real World, New York_

* * *

Lucas_ - __'We've been here for almost two weeks now and to celebrate that, Brooke and Rachel took me clubbing last night. Ok, so maybe not exactly to celebrate that particular fact, they just needed an excuse to get drunk, I think. Clubbing, now there's something I've never really done before. I mean, I have gone out, just not to the big clubs, you know. I'm more of a having a beer at a bar, chatting to my friends kind of guy. But I had a good time.'_

'Can I get you a drink?' Rachel asked Lucas. She licked her lips and looked at him. Yeah, he was a cute guy, but a bit too soft for her likings. She knew Brooke liked him, though, and even though nothing had happened between her and Lucas, she liked the idea of messing with Brooke a bit. She didn't want to hand him over to Brooke without fight, because where would be the fun in that, right?

Lucas shook his head and pointed at his ear, stating he hadn't heard what she said.

'Ok, fine,' Rachel took two steps and stood next to Lucas, putting her hand on his stomach and her mouth next to his ear, ignoring the look Brooke threw her, 'Can I get you a drink, hotshot?'

Lucas smiled and in return put his mouth to Rachel's ear, 'Just a beer, thanks.'

'Coming right up, gorgeous.' She pointed at Brooke's glass to see if she could bring back another drink for her. Brooke nodded and Rachel headed to the bar to get their drinks.

'So, are you having a good time, Lucas?' Brooke stood next to Lucas and made sure her voice was loud enough for him to hear.

He nodded, 'Yeah, I quite like it here.'

'Good.' Brooke saw Rachel coming back again, holding their drinks. She looked at Lucas to see if he had seen Rachel as well, but his eyes were darting across the club, so Brooke took her chance. She grabbed Lucas' hand and pulled him towards the dance floor. She threw her arms around his neck and started moving her hips to the rhythm. Hoping she'd be able to keep his mind off of Rachel.

Lucas was a bit surprised by the way Brooke behaved and didn't know exactly what to think of this. But he wasn't going to lie; he quite liked dancing with her, so he placed his hands on her hips and looked at her as they danced together.

Rachel made her way back to Brooke and Lucas and was almost there when she saw Brooke grabbing Lucas and pulling him on to the dance floor. The next thing she knew, they were dancing very close to one another. Rachel shook her head and put Lucas' beer and Brooke's cocktail on the table behind her and took a sip of her own drink. Licking her lips when she was done, she tasted the sweet alcohol on her tongue and debated what to do.

Rachel put her glass down and adjusted her top before she walked over to the dance floor. She could see that Brooke and Lucas had let go of each other, so she walked past Brooke and grabbed Lucas, making him turn around and facing her, 'Wanna dance, gorgeous?'

Brooke shook her head and crossed her arms, watching Rachel grinding her hips against Lucas'. She let out a sarcastic laugh and turned around. If Rachel wanted to play these kind of games, then she'd better bring it. Brooke wasn't willing to give Lucas up that easily. She walked over to the DJ-booth and stood on her toes, trying to get the attention of the DJ. When she did, Brooke requested her favourite song, knowing that it was one Rachel hated. She had found that out on their first night of clubbing and now Brooke was glad she remembered.

Brooke_ - _'_Lucas is a cute guy, I won't lie. And, you know, I like cute guys. And I know that Rachel knows that I like cute guys and especially Lucas. Because I told her that when we were out clubbing one night. So when Rachel was all over Lucas at the club, I knew it was just to piss me off. She probably thought he was fair game. It doesn't work like that, hon. You can't be all over Nathan one week and then all over Lucas the next. That just makes you the house slut. But two can play the game you're playing, missy. So let's see how far you're willing to go. And let's see if Lucas really is the honest guy I think he is. The gloves are off, so you better bring it, bitch. I'm ready.' _

Rachel smiled as she saw Brooke walking away. She turned around and put her hands on Lucas' shoulders, closing the gap between them. She was feeling confident now that Brooke wasn't around anymore and smiled at Lucas, who was still looking at her. She knew that it would really piss of Brooke if they kept dancing close like this. Rachel put her hands on his chest and was moving her body closer and closer against his.

At first she didn't notice that the song ended and kept dancing, but then she heard the first few chords of another song. A song that she hated with passion; it was way too happy and cheery for her taste. Rachel stopped dancing and looked at Lucas, another idea forming in her head 'I'm sorry, Luke, but this is not really my favourite song. How about we step outside for a minute? Get some fresh air?' _And get away from Brooke_, she thought.

'Sure,' Lucas looked around to see if he saw Brooke anywhere, 'We probably should tell Brooke though.'

Rachel shook her head, 'Why? She's a big girl, Luke, she can take care of herself.' She grabbed his hand and started walking towards the exit, dragging Lucas along. All of a sudden he stood still and let go of her hand. Rachel turned around, 'Come on, Luke!'

'I'm just going to tell Brooke where we're going, Rachel. She's right there.' Lucas pointed to the DJ booth and without waiting for Rachel's reaction, he made his way over to Brooke.

'Luke, there you are.'

'Hey. Listen, Rachel and I were just going to get some fresh air. You want to come?' Lucas held out his hand, hoping that she would take it. He couldn't deny that both girls were really attractive, but there was something about Brooke that intrigued him.

'Sure.' Brooke smiled and took his hand. She followed him outside and stuck out her tongue when they passed Rachel on the way, 'Game on, bitch.'

Rachel nodded, but smiled, knowing exactly what Brooke meant. It was what they did; chasing boys, playing around. 'Bring it, slut,' she shouted at Brooke as she watched her walking outside with Lucas.

* * *

Haley_ - 'Yesterday, we got a call from Greg, who apparently is our new boss! He told us to meet him today and gave us an address. He wouldn't tell us what our job will be, but he did tell us to put on some old clothes. I'm very curious to see what we'll be doing and I can't wait to get started. I mean, we've been here for two weeks now and I'm done with hanging around all day. I could have done that at home.'_

'I think it's here,' Lucas looked at the piece of paper again and compared it to the number on the building, '238 West Robson, right?'

Haley nodded, 'That's what he told me.'

'It looks like something that is about to be taken down,' Rachel crossed her arms as she looked at the building, 'I can't imagine we're at the right place.'

All of a sudden the door opened and a big man stepped outside, 'Hi guys! I'm Greg and this is where you'll be working the next nine weeks,' he stepped aside and held the door open, 'Come inside!'

'Maybe we're the ones who'll be taking it down,' Peyton grinned as she walked past Rachel and towards Greg, 'Hi, I'm Peyton.'

'Hi Peyton,' Greg shook her hand, 'Nice to meet you.'

The others soon followed Peyton's example and within a few minutes everybody was inside, looking around to see where exactly they were. It was what looked like an old warehouse, with three stories that were all connected by large hallways that you could see from the main entrance, where they were now. There were several signs on the wall, all with arrows pointing in different directions. On the signs they saw words like "kitchen", "registration", "sleeping area", "chapel", "living room" and "staff".

'Aren't you supposed to be seven?' Greg walked past the six roommates and gestured to follow him to the kitchen area. He walked through a door and entered the large kitchen, where other staff members were already busy preparing dinner.

'Yeah, we are seven.' Haley answered as she and the others followed Greg.

They came to a halt next to the biggest stove either one of them had ever seen. Greg turned around, looking at Haley.

She shrugged, 'Chris is our seventh roommate, but he wasn't around when you called yesterday and still hadn't come home when we left today, so we wrote him a note, which I guess he hasn't read yet.'

'Ok,' Greg crossed his arms and looked at the six young people in front of him, 'There are two things that you need to know now that you're working here. One, I expect you to be one time and in good spirit. And second, don't show up for work three times and you're out. No excuses.' He looked at the group and saw them nod, which made him smile, 'Good. I'm glad you got that. Maybe you want to pass that on to Chris as well, Haley.'

Haley nodded. She was frustrated that Chris wasn't there on their first day of work, knowing that first impressions were vital. He had told her the day before yesterday that he'd be in the studio, recording some new tracks. She figured the studio was in New York and he'd be home every night, but right now, she wasn't too sure about that.

'I bet you all wonder where you are right now.' Greg looked at the group and saw them all nod again. He smiled and spread his arms, 'You are standing in the kitchen of the St. Peter's Homeless Shelter. For the next nine weeks this will be where you spend your days and sometimes even your nights. Welcome.'

Rachel_ - _'_We're going to have to work in a homeless shelter, god. I don't know if that will work out. I mean, it's good that there's a place where the homeless people can go, but I don't think it's a place where I should spend any time, let alone work there for the next two and a half months. It's all so… old and not hygienic and worn out. And then Greg told us we'd even had to do some night shifts, I don't know. It's not really what I came to New York for. Like I said, not a place where I fit right in.'_

'So, we're going to divide you two groups of two and one group of three and each group will be given a different task. After three weeks, you'll switch, so everybody gets to learn all the different aspects,' Greg got out three folders and spread them on the counter, 'I guess if Chris decides to show up next time, he'll just have to join one of the groups.'

'And don't worry, today we're just going to show you how everything works around here, where you can find certain things and all that, so everyone should be home at the same time today,' he grabbed the first folder and opened it, 'So, the first task; kitchen duty, anyone here who's especially fond of cooking?'

Both Lucas and Brooke raised their hands and Greg gestured for them to come forward, 'Here's all the information you need. Read it and have fun!'

He pointed to an elderly woman, who was cutting some vegetables at the other end of the counter, 'That's Virginia, who will be your mentor while you're working in the kitchen. She's been working with us for twenty years now, so she knows what she's talking about.'

Virginia looked up and smiled. Lucas took the folder from Greg and he and Brooke walked over to Virginia.

'Second, we need the next group to help with the administration. This is the only job where you'll have regular hours, from nine to five everyday, anyone who wants to volunteer?'

Haley and Rachel raised there hands and walked forward.

Haley shook her head when she saw she was teamed up with Rachel. She probably only did it because of the work hours, so she could go clubbing every night. Haley sighed, but decided to not say anything about it. _Yet_.

'Here you go,' Greg gave Rachel the folder, 'If you go back to where we came from and you follow the sign "registration", you'll meet Linda, who will tell you all about your tasks. Linda has been with us for fifteen years now, so she knows how things work around here. I'm sure she'll be an excellent mentor and you learn a lot from her. Have fun, guys.'

'Thanks.' Rachel turned around and walked back to the entrance, not checking if Haley was behind her or not. She had hoped to be in a group with Lucas or Nathan, but the minute Greg mentioned the regular working hours, she knew this is what she had to choose. There was no way in hell she'd be spending her nights here. No matter how much homeless people they'd be helping.

'So,' Greg picked up the last folder and gave it to Nathan, 'That leaves you two. You'll be working with me the next three weeks,' he walked past Nathan and Peyton and nodded in the direction he was going to, 'Let's go to my office.'

Nathan looked at Peyton, curious, but she only shrugged, knowing as little as he did at the moment. They followed Greg through a narrow hallway and ended up in a small room that served as his office. He pointed at two seats, on which they sat down.

Greg sat behind his desk and folded his hands, 'You're task really is the most difficult of all. I need you to go out in the evening to see if there are any people that need help. You know; clothes, food, a place to sleep or just someone who will listen to their story. And if they do, you just send them to the shelter.'

He leaned back and looked at Nathan and Peyton 'Let me tell you now, the things that you're about to see aren't that pretty and it's probably going to be difficult for you. But you have to remember that we're here to help and this way we're able to give them at least one good meal and a good night of sleep. Most of them are very grateful when they see us.'

Nathan_ - _'_I think it's kind of cool that we're doing this job. I mean, it's good to give back sometimes, you know. Greg seems like a nice guy and the work that all the people at the shelter do is amazing. They seem really committed to their job and have a great energy. Because Chris seems to spending more time outside the house than inside and didn't show up today, we were divided into pairs. That went a lot easier than I thought and I was quite happy with the outcome.'_

* * *

'I am so _freaking_ tired,' Brooke sat down on the couch and kicked her shoes off, glad they were at home again, 'It really is hard work.'

'I know,' Peyton sat down next to her and leaned back, closing her eyes, 'It gives you a good feeling, though, doesn't it?'

'Yeah,' Brooke smiled, 'And Virginia is such a sweet woman. She's like the grandmother everybody wants to have, you know.'

'She's awesome,' Lucas sat down on one of the other couches and sighed, 'But she made us work our asses off, though. Damn.'

'Stop whining, you big baby,' Haley smacked Lucas across the arm, 'Try working with Linda for a day, she'll make you work like you've never worked before.'

'She's grumpy.' Rachel added, walking through the living room. She was on her way to the bathroom, planning to take a long, hot, relaxing shower, 'The shower is mine for the next thirty minutes.'

'Geez, Rachel, what are you planning to do?' Haley followed Rachel with her eyes and shook her head, realising she wouldn't get an answer. She shouted, 'Just leave some hot water for the rest of us!'

'I'm going to make something to eat. Anyone interested?' Lucas got up and waited for someone to react.

'No thanks,' Haley got up and grabbed her purse, 'I'll be in my room if you need me, guys.'

Brooke laughed, 'I'll join you, Luke. I'm starving.' She got up and walked passed him to the kitchen.

Lucas looked at Peyton, who shook her head, 'No thanks, Luke, I'm not hungry,' she turned and put her legs on the sofa, lying down, with her head against the soft pillows, 'I'm just going to relax here for a while.'

'You do that,' Lucas laughed and turned towards Nathan, 'How about you, Nate?'

'No, I'm good, man.' Nathan walked over to the pool table and grabbed a cue, 'Thanks though.'

'No problem.' Lucas made his way to the kitchen and joined Brooke, who already had started to make some pancakes.

'So, Greg's a pretty great guy, don't you think?' Peyton looked at Nathan, who was making some shots.

'Yeah, he really is,' Nathan put the cue back in place and sat down on the pool table, 'His drive is unbelievable.'

'Yeah,' Peyton sighed, 'So, what's your…' But before she could finish her sentence, the front door opened and Chris walked in with his guitar case.

He looked at Peyton and Nathan, before he walked into the kitchen, 'Chris Keller is back in the house, people.'

'Oh _great_,' Brooke sighed, 'Look what the cat's dragged in.' She pointed at him with the spatula she was using to make pancakes, 'You missed our first day at work, Chris Keller.'

Chris_ - _'_So I missed the first day at work. Big deal. The homeless people don't really care if Chris Keller is around or not. Who _did_ care, were the producers I met up with this week. They gave me a chance to record some awesome new songs and I can't wait for people to hear them. It's the shit, it really is. I just hope they're willing to produce my album. If that happens, Chris Keller will become a living legend._

* * *

'I'm off to bed, guys.' Peyton yawned, stretching her arms over her head. She had spent the night with Lucas, Brooke and Haley, playing old fashioned board games in the kitchen. 'After all, we do have a job to go to tomorrow morning.'

'Isn't that great?' Haley smiled, 'I feel so useful right now.'

'I'm mostly feeling tired,' Lucas joked as he got up and ignored the look both Haley and Brooke threw him, 'Good night, girls.'

'Night Lucas,' the three girls said in harmony, giggling when they realised it.

'I'm going too, girls. I'm practically sleeping as we speak.' Brooke got up and waited for Haley and Peyton to do the same.

Haley put their glasses in the sink and walked upstairs, behind Brooke and Peyton.

'Good night, Peyton.' Haley smiled at the blonde girl, who continued to her bedroom.

'Night, ladies.' Peyton gave them a quick wave before she entered her bedroom, very careful not to wake Nathan up, who had gone to bed just a couple of minutes earlier. She tried to make her way to her bed in the dark, but knew she was too close when her toe interacted with her bed in a harsh way, 'Damn it!' Peyton tried to keep her voice low.

'You okay?' Nathan opened his eyes and reached for his bedside light.

'Yeah, it's nothing.' Peyton sat down on her bed and grabbed her toe, swearing under her breath. She took a deep breath and felt tears forming in her eyes, 'It's just that this freaking bed is so solid and isn't willing to move an inch when your toe bumps into it.'

Nathan laughed, 'I'm sorry,' he sat up and looked at Peyton, 'You should cool it, though, it'll keep the swelling down,' he got up 'Just sit there, I'll get you some ice.'

'Nathan,' Peyton sighed, but he was already gone, 'I could have gotten it myself, you know,' she mumbled. She quickly got up and changed into shorts and a t-shirt, sitting down again when she heard Nathan coming back.

'Here you go,' Nathan sat down at the other end and carefully put the icepack on her toe, 'How's that?'

'Cold.' Peyton shivered.

Nathan laughed, 'Good.' He leaned against the wall and held the icepack, making sure the pressure wasn't too big.

'I can take it.' Peyton reached forward to get the icepack, but Nathan gently pushed her back again.

'I've got it,' he smiled at her and leaned his head back, 'I don't mind sitting here for a while.'

Peyton felt her cheeks redden and looked down, wondering if he was flirting with her. She shook her head, but smiled, 'Me neither.'

Peyton_ - _'_Today was fun; I really like our job. Like Greg said, it's probably going to be difficult at times but I just need to be strong. The people we're about to meet have so much less than I do and yet they're still here. They haven't given up their lives just because they had had some setbacks. I think I'll be able to learn a lot from them. I'm really glad I'm paired up with Nathan, because he seems like such a good guy and I know he'll do great. And he's cute and caring and pretty good-looking too. My toe already is a lot better by the way.'_


	4. Episode 4 The third week

_**AN: **__So, first of all - again thanks for the amazing amount of reviews on the last chapter! I'm glad you still like it :)__  
__Writing this fic really turned out a lot harder than I expected. It's so difficult to give every character a chance to tell their part of story in each chapter and I really have to be careful not to focus on certain characters too much. But so far, so good, I guess.__  
__I don't know when I'll be updating again, though. My vacation starts on Thursday and I'll be everywhere but home, really. I'll try to write when I'm not travelling, but can't make any promises :( Just hang in there :)__  
__And remember to tell me what you think! Thanks guys, love ya'll!_

* * *

Nathan; _'This is the true story…'_

Brooke; _'Of seven strangers…'_

Lucas; _'Picked to live in a house…'_

Haley; _'Work together and have their lives taped…'_

Rachel; _'To find out what happens…'_

Chris; _'When people stop being polite…'_

Peyton; _'And start getting real.'_

_The Real World, New York_

* * *

Chris_ - __'Ok, so maybe missing the first day of work wasn't such a great idea after all. That Greg guy was pretty hard on me when I came in last Tuesday, telling me that if Chris Keller would miss two more days Chris Keller would be fired and would have to leave the house. Now, that sucks. Or not. I don't know, I mean, Chris Keller really likes being here in New York and for Chris Keller as an artist it's really the chance of a lifetime to be here. But the house is just so boring, well the house isn't, the roommates are. Rachel and Brooke are the only ones who'll go out sometimes, the rest just sits at home and unless they're having wild parties in the kitchen when we're not there, Chris Keller thinks they're pretty boring. All work and no play. That's not the way Chris Keller wants to live his life.'_

'Chris, come on!' Peyton stood at the bottom of the stairs ,'We're going to be late!' She sighed and tapped her feet, 'Asshole,' she said, under her breath.

'We could always just go without him.'

Peyton turned around and looked at Nathan, who was waiting for her at the door. She nodded, 'I know,' but turned around again 'Chris Keller, don't make me get up there and drag you down myself, buddy! You're not going to like that.'

Chris made his way down the stairs and looked at Peyton, 'But I'm sure you would _love_ that, wouldn't you darling?' He gave her a wink as he walked past her, 'Come on, let's go. What are you all waiting for?'

Nathan shook his head and opened the door, letting Chris and Peyton pass. He noticed Peyton had her fists clenched and knew she was mad at Chris. If there was one thing he had learned from working with Peyton the last two days, it was that she took her job very serious and hated to be late. It was something he admired in her and therefore he could understand her frustration when they heard Chris would join them at work. Nathan closed the door and put his arm around Peyton's shoulders, putting his mouth close to her ear, 'We could always leave him under a bridge somewhere.'

Peyton laughed and shook her head, 'Don't start putting ideas in my head, Nathan.' She noticed his arm was still loosely on her shoulders as they made their way to the shelter, something that made her smile.

Chris was walking in front of them, his head hanging low, obviously not wanting to go to work today. They had been working at the shelter for little over a week now and the job they were assigned to do wasn't easy, just like Greg had told them.

Where Haley and Rachel worked from nine to five and Brooke and Lucas from twelve to eight, Nathan, Chris and Peyton had to work from four in the afternoon until midnight. Most of the time they were driving and walking around New York, to see if there were people they could help by sending them to the shelter, or handing out blankets and food to those who wouldn't want to go.

Today they would have to go by Greg first, who had told them yesterday he wanted to talk to hem first before they went out again. Nothing serious, just to give them a few more instructions and to let them know where else they could go to help people.

Chris opened the door and walked inside where a lot of people were already enjoying the dinner Brooke and Lucas made earlier. He shook his head as he walked past them and wondered how difficult it was for these people to get a job, like everybody else. Without looking if Nathan and Peyton followed him, he walked over to Greg's office and knocked on the door.

Before going to Greg's office, Nathan and Peyton walked to the kitchen where they greeted Brooke and Lucas.

'Hi guys. Hello Virginia.' Peyton waved at them and Virginia.

'Hi, roomies!' Brooke smiled, 'Where's Chris?'

Nathan shrugged, 'Probably already in Greg's office, so he can get out of here as fast as possible.'

'We should go too, Nate,' Peyton turned around, but looked at Brooke and Lucas before she stepped out of the kitchen, 'It smells delicious, guys!'

'Thanks!' Lucas gave them a quick wave before he got back to his mashed potatoes.

'Aren't they cute together?' Brooke looked at Lucas and nodded towards the door, where Peyton and Nathan had just walked through.

* * *

Brooke_ - __'Working at the shelter is great. It's a great chance to give back to people who need it the most and it's a great place to learn about life in general. I mean, who would have thought that I, Brooke Davis, fashion designer and owner of her own clothing line, would love working in a homeless shelter? And working with Lucas is great. He's such a sweet guy who really tries to see the best in everyone. And Virginia is just a sweetheart. I guess it's good though, that we all have different work hours, you know, so we get a chance to spend some time away from each other as well, because sometimes things can get a bit intense in the house.' _

'We're home!' Brooke said as she opened the front door. She waited until Lucas was inside as well before she closed it again and took her jacket off. She kicked her shoes off and walked to the kitchen, knowing that her roommates where in that room most of the time.

'Hi Brooke,' Haley smiled at her from across the table, where she was having dinner, 'How was your day?'

'Good. Busy.' Brooke smiled and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. She sat down opposite to Haley and took a sip, 'Where's Rachel?'

'Upstairs. Where's Lucas?'

Brooke shrugged, 'He came in with me, so he must be somewhere.'

'Maybe he's upstairs with Rachel.' Haley laughed, having heard some things about the night Brooke and Rachel took Lucas clubbing.

'Very funny, missy,' Brooke stuck out her tongue and grabbed a piece of Haley's sandwich off her plate, 'He better not be, though.'

'What's the deal with you and Lucas, anyway?' Haley pushed her plate aside, having finished her dinner. She leaned back and raised an eyebrow.

'I don't know.' Brooke shrugged.

'Do you like him?'

'I guess,' Brooke shook her head, 'It's just, I don't get anything from him that could tell me if he likes me too, you know. I think he just wants to be friends.'

'Funny.' Haley smiled.

'What?' Brooke finished her sandwich and took another sip of water.

'Well, Lucas basically told me the same thing two weeks ago. He likes you, Brooke, but he is confused because one day you'll be all over him and the next day you're all over Nathan or some random guy in a bar. He wants to get to know the real you, but you have to give him a chance and stop acting like somebody else all the time.'

Brooke looked at Haley with her eyebrows raised, 'Wow, honest much?'

Haley shrugged, 'That's just how it is, Brooke. If you don't let your guards down, you'll never be more than friends with Lucas.'

* * *

Haley_ - _'_I still like working at the shelter very much. And to be honest, Rachel isn't that bad once you get to know her. she's very smart and knows what she wants. She keeps telling me that I should go after my dream, that I shouldn't give in and she's right. I shouldn't. So that's why I decided to be more active when it comes to finding a label. I really want to get my songs out there and being in New York is a great opportunity that I shouldn't waste. I have to say, things have been a bit quiet around the house. I think working at the shelter leaves a big impression on everyone and it always takes some time to process what we have seen or done that day. But I like it when everyone's at home, it nice to be able to talk to the others and get to know them better.'_

'Are you ok?' Haley sat down next to Nathan on the steps that led up to their front door. She had seen him sitting here for a while now and wondered what was going on.

'I'm fine.' Nathan sighed. He played around with the basketball he held in his hands and stared at the pavement, 'There's just a lot going on, you know.'

'You mean, with work?' Haley asked, watching his hands, which were carelessly bouncing the ball against one of the steps and catching it again.

'Yeah, that too.' Nathan nodded, not sure if he wanted to tell Haley what was on his mind.

Haley could see he was hesitant and knew better than to push him. She put her hand on his arm and looked at him, 'I know we haven't talked much since we got here, but if there's anything you want to talk about, I'm here. Ok?'

Nathan smiled at her 'Thank you.' He put the ball between his feet and leaned back, resting his elbows on the top step.

The front door opened and Rachel stepped outside, looking at Haley and Nathan, 'Do you mind if I sit with you, guys?'

Haley looked at Nathan, who shrugged. She moved over so Rachel could sit next to her, 'Sure. Sit down.'

'Thanks.' Rachel smiled at Haley and closed the door behind her and sat down in between Nathan and Haley. She sighed, 'It's a beautiful day, isn't it?'

Haley smiled, wondering where this new, calm Rachel came from. She sure wasn't her cheery, bouncy, bitchy self today, 'Are you ok?'

Rachel nodded, 'Yeah, I guess,' she pulled her knees up and put her arms around them, resting her head on her knees, 'It's just, do you remember that lady that came in yesterday? The one who we had to refuse because she brought drugs with her?'

Haley nodded, 'I do. Didn't you say she looked familiar to you?'

'Yes,' Rachel looked at Haley, 'I remembered today why I felt like I knew her. She was my best friend back in kindergarten.' She shook her head, 'Her name is Sarah Linton, but she signed her application form with Anne Linton yesterday, that's why I didn't recognise her at first. But Anne's her middle name.'

'What?' Nathan had listened to the conversation without paying too much attention, but he heard the sadness in Rachel's voice and felt sorry for her.

'Yeah,' Rachel looked at Nathan and sighed, 'We were best friends back then, but we lost contact when I moved to Los Angeles when I was ten. It's what happens, you know, when you're young, you think that the friendship will last forever, but things change, people change and friendships change, I guess. We lost touch and now I see her here, in a homeless shelter and I wonder what has happened to her.' Rachel heard her voice crack and felt tears coming to her eyes.

'I'm sorry, Rachel,' Haley put her arm around Rachel's shoulders and pulled her close, stroking her hair, 'Why don't you try to talk to her?'

Rachel shrugged, 'I don't know if she'll be back, Haley. I was kind of hard on her yesterday, when I saw she had a bag of coke,' she bit her lip, 'She was in a pretty bad state already and I can't help but wonder where she went and if she's ok.'

'Do you think she knows who you are?' Nathan looked Rachel and felt bad for her, knowing how it feels when you can't help someone you care about.

'I don't know,' Rachel dried her eyes and shook her head, 'I just hope she'll be ok.'

'This probably not what you want to hear, right now, Rachel, but you can't help people that don't want help. No matter how much you care about them.' Nathan looked at her.

'But she came to the shelter, didn't she?' Rachel looked at Nathan, 'So, it seems like she wants help. And I refused to give her what she needed.'

'Yeah, but she also knows that it's not allowed to bring drugs, hon,' Haley added, 'So, you know, does she really want help or just an easy solution?'

'I don't know,' Rachel sighed, 'It just sucks.'

* * *

Nathan - _'I always used to go to basketball games on Sunday when I was younger. It would be something me and my Dad did together, you know, a guy thing. I also played in little league and junior league back when I was in school and have always loved the game, at some point I even was quite good at it, until a knee-injury made me have to give up my dream of playing varsity. I haven't played since high school, but when Lucas asked me if I wanted to play a game today, I figured, why not. It felt good to step back on a court again and forget about everything that has been going on. You only have to focus on the ball and your opponent and that's it. Easy.' _

'Where are the guys?' Brooke asked, after she walked in to the living room and only found Haley and Peyton sitting there.

'Lucas and Nathan are playing basketball at the court around the corner,' Haley took another sip of her tea and looked at Brooke, 'I think Chris is in the studio again and Rachel's still sleeping.'

'I wish I could sleep like that,' Peyton shook her head, 'I think I'm programmed to wake up at eight thirty and no matter how I try, I just can't get back to sleep.'

'Dude, that sucks,' Haley laughed, 'So it was you I heard messing around in the bathroom so early this morning? I couldn't quite believe anyone would get up that early on a Sunday morning out of free will.'

Peyton laughed, 'Sorry, buddy, I can't help it. I'll try to be quieter next time.'

'Nah, that's ok,' Haley smiled, 'I went right back to sleep again, so don't worry about it.'

'So girls, do we have anything fun planned for today?' Brooke looked at Haley and Peyton, 'I thought it might be fun to do something together.'

'Yeah!' Haley and Peyton both said at the same time.

'Why don't we grab some snack and drinks and spend a day in the park?' Haley suggested, 'I mean, the weather's great and there's always something to do in Central Park on Sunday.'

'Good idea, Hales,' Brooke got up, 'We could even walk past the guys to see if they want to join us.'

'I'll go see if Rachel is up to this.' Haley got up as well and made her way upstairs.

Brooke held out her hand to Peyton, who took it, and pulled her up, 'Let's raid the kitchen, buddy.'

Peyton laughed as she followed Brooke. She grabbed one of the big shopping bags and opened the fridge, 'What do we need?'

'Just grab anything that isn't over its best before date.' Brooke opened the cabinets and grabbed some snacks, before she took some fruit from the fruit-dish. She put everything in another bag and clapped her hands, 'Done.'

'Me too,' Peyton closed the fridge and looked at the two bags on the counter, 'We could so feed twenty people with all of that.'

Brooke laughed and saw Haley coming into the kitchen again, 'So, is Rachel joining us?'

Haley shook her head, 'She has a meeting with an agent later today, so she has other plans.'

'Ok, well, we got everything we need while you were upstairs, so we're good to go.' Brooke grabbed a bag and waited for Haley and Peyton to follow her. Peyton grabbed the other bag, while Haley rushed into the living room to get a blanket.

Peyton - _'I never really do things like going to the park to have a picnic, so this was pretty new to me. It was fun, though and it was good to be outside and soak up the sun for a couple of hours. I loved looking at all the people in the park and wondering what their story is. We found a nice spot near a couple of trees and the pond and spend the whole afternoon just talking and having a good time. I think I need to do this more often.'_

'Isn't this the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon?' Lucas lay on his back and had his eyes closed, enjoying the last rays of sun on his face.

'Definitely.' Brooke agreed, lying next to Lucas.

The girls had picked up the boys, who both were happy to join. They had all made it to the park a couple of hours ago. Everyone had enjoyed the food while they talked about working at the shelter for some time.

Brooke turned around, so she was lying on her stomach, and rested her head on her hands, looking at all the people who were in the park.

Peyton, who sat next to Brooke, yawned and laughed, 'All this fresh air makes me freaking tired,' she looked at her watch and saw in was four in the afternoon already, 'I think I'm going to go home, guys, and try to get some extra sleep.'

'I'm coming with you, Peyton.' Haley got up as well and brushed some grass off her clothes. She grabbed one of the bags, which was now full of garbage and looked at Brooke and Lucas, 'Are you guys staying?'

Brooke looked at Lucas, who shrugged. 'I guess we could stay a little longer.' Brooke said, as she looked up at Haley.

'I'm joining you, guys.' Nathan got up as well and grabbed his basketball, before he joined Peyton and Haley.

'Don't come home too late, ok?' Haley raised her eyebrow and looked at Brooke and Lucas.

'We won't, _Mom_.' Lucas laughed and gave her a wink, knowing she was only concerned about them. He waved at his three roommates as they walked away and looked at Brooke, 'Guess that just leaves you and me.'

'Guess it does.' Brooke smiled and closed her eyes, her mind drifting to the events of the last three weeks. It still amazed her how well everybody seemed to be getting along and how there hadn't been any real fights so far. Of course, sometimes people were irritated, usually about the mess around the house. But when everybody cleaned up after themselves for a day or two everything was good again.

'Where's your head at, pretty girl?'

Lucas' voice interrupted her thoughts and Brooke opened her eyes, 'What?'

'What are you thinking about?' Lucas rolled onto his stomach as well and looked at Brooke.

She smiled, 'I can't remember,' she looked at him, 'Everything pretty much is a blur up until when I heard you call me "pretty girl".'

Lucas smiled, 'It is true, though, you are very pretty.' He had been wanting to say something like this for a very long time now and when Haley told him yesterday that Brooke liked him too, he knew he had to go for it. He put a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at her ,'I think I like you, Brooke.'

Brooke felt her cheeks redden and looked down. She spoke softly, 'I think I like you too, Lucas.'

Lucas leaned in closer and carefully put his lips against hers, kissing her.

Lucas_ - 'Uhm, yeah, so I kissed Brooke today. I have wanted to do that for so long and I'm glad Haley pushed me into admitting to Brooke how I feel about her. And I'm thinking she feels the same way too. So I guess you could say the afternoon in the park turned out pretty good. It was good fun and it still surprised me at how well we all get along. I mean, Rachel and Chris aren't always there when we hang out, but when they are we all get along just fine as well.'_

* * *

Rachel - _'While everybody was enjoying their lazy afternoon in the park, I went to see this agent who I thought could help me with my career. I don't know. Things didn't go that great and he said he would call me later this week. Usually that means they don't call at all. So I won't get my hopes up too much. Anyway, much to my surprise I ended up spending the evening with Chris. Who turns out to be not so bad company after all.'_

'Anybody home?' Chris closed the front door behind him and waited for a reply. He didn't get an answer, but he heard the shower running, so he made his way upstairs. Without knocking he walked right in to the bathroom, 'Anybody here?'

'What the hell?' Rachel quickly grabbed her towel and wrapped it around herself. She opened the shower curtain and peeked outside, 'Chris Keller, you perv! Get out!'

'It's as much my shower as it is yours, babe,' he leaned against the wall and looked at Rachel, noticing she really had a gorgeous body, 'And we could always share.'

Rachel laughed, 'Sure. Because Chris Keller really is the sharing kind of guy,' she walked out of the shower and past Chris, to her room, 'The shower is all yours, Chris. Enjoy it.'

Chris followed her to their room and sat down on his bed.

'Dude, seriously, you need to get out. I'd like to get dressed.' Rachel leaned against the wall and waited for Chris to get up. After a few seconds it was obvious he wasn't going to move, so she opened her closet and grabbed some clothes, heading back to the bathroom again. This time she locked the door and dressed herself.

When Rachel got back out again and went into their bedroom, Chris was still there, sitting on his bed. She shook her head and sighed, but sat down on her own bed, trying to make the best of this. Of course she could have just gone downstairs, but something in her made her stay, 'What's your story, Chris?'

'What?' Chris looked at Rachel, surprised to see she had actually sat down and was willing to talk to him.

Rachel shrugged, 'Tell me your story. I want to know why you are who you are.'

Chris smiled, 'Well, Chris Keller comes from a small town in the mid-west and has been trying to get his big break in music for several years now. I have played some small gigs, released a demo, you know, everything that you expect from a beginning artist.'

'But?' Rachel asked.

'But, that's all. It doesn't get any better than that. Chris Keller hasn't even gotten a label yet.'

'Weren't you in the studio last week with some guys that were interested?' Rachel pulled up her knees and rested her head on them. She looked at him and for some reason she felt for the guy.

'Yeah, but they called me in today, saying it probably wouldn't work out. They dumped Chris Keller.' He lowered his head and tried to hide that he was upset about that.

'Chris, really, listen to me,' she looked at him and only continued when she saw she got his attention, 'I'm sorry that the label told you off and everything, but you really _have_ to stop talking about yourself in third person, otherwise no one will take you serious. I know it's like your "trademark",' she air-quoted the word, 'But it's annoying and it's not getting you anywhere.'

'I know,' Chris took a deep breath, 'But stops people from getting too close, you know?'

'Oh, believe me, I know all about that. But it's not easy to live your life like that.' Rachel sighed as she was reminded of her own ways of stopping people from getting to close and being a bitch was just one them. In that way she and Chris were very much alike. She decided that now might be a good time to try and change that, feeling that if she told Chris that it was a bad thing, she had to tell herself as well. Rachel got up and adjusted her top 'Now, how about you and I go have a drink downtown somewhere? Just to clear our heads. And to try to let people in more from now on.'

'Sounds good.' Chris got up as well and followed Rachel downstairs.


	5. Episode 5 The fourth week

_**AN: **__Thank you so much for all the reviews on the last chapter! I'm glad you all still like the story so far and that you're taking the time to leave a review :)__  
__I'm sorry to have kept you waiting like this, it's been way too long since the last update, I know. But with the holidays coming up, I should have some time to start writing the next couple of chapters so I can start updating every week again.__  
__Anyway, enough with the rambling - enjoy this chapter; let me know what you think and__Happy Holidays!_

* * *

Nathan;_ 'This is the true story…'_

Brooke; _'Of seven strangers…'_

Lucas; _'Picked to live in a house…'_

Haley; _'Work together and have their lives taped…'_

Rachel; _'To find out what happens…'_

Chris; _'When people stop being polite…'_

Peyton; _'And start getting real.'_

_The Real World, New York_

* * *

Haley - '_Time really flies by, here in New York City; I can't believe yet another week has passed. And boy was it an eventful week. We had people falling in love, people arguing, people having interesting conversations and people having a good time. I'm glad Brooke and Lucas finally told each other about their feelings and I think everyone in the house feels the same way. They're just a great couple, very cute. They make me want to fall in love as well.'_

'So, I heard you and Lucas hit it off pretty good in Central Park yesterday.' Rachel walked into the living room, where Brooke was playing pool, 'Well done, bitch,' she said, as she bumped hips with Brooke.

Brooke smiled and adjusted the cue, that had been moved from its original position after Rachel had bumped into her, 'Thank you,' she aimed and shot, putting two balls in the pockets before she stood up and leaned on the cue, looking at Rachel, 'So, who's your next target? Nathan or Chris?'

Rachel shrugged and took the cue from Brooke, 'I don't know.' She shot and was content to see one ball making it in the side pocket. Rachel walked around the table and repositioned herself, 'I kind of liked messing with you and Lucas.'

Brooke shook her head and laughed 'Don't even think about it, bitch.'

'Why not?' Rachel handed Brooke the cue after she had missed her last shot, 'What's wrong with a little game?'

'Not this time, Rachel,' Brooke put the cue down and leaned against the table, 'He really is a great guy and I don't want to mess this up.'

She looked at Rachel, who had kinked her eyebrow, obviously waiting for an explanation.

'For the first time I feel like I can be myself around a guy and it's the most amazing feeling in the world, Rach, I really don't want to lose that. Just promise me you won't do anything stupid, ok?'

'Fine,' Rachel sighed and stood next to Brooke, 'You have that whole "I'm in love, the world is such a great place" glow, so I believe you, but only if you promise me not to mess it up either. You deserve to be happy.'

Brooke smiled, 'Deal.'

'I am going to miss our little games, though,' Rachel pouted and lowered her head, 'For the first time I had met my match and now you've already dropped out.'

'Oh, you poor thing,' Brooke put her arm around Rachel's shoulders and pulled her close, 'I guess we could go out every once in a while to drive some guys crazy.'

Rachel smiled 'I knew you'd give in eventually,' she put her arm around Brooke's waist and gave her a hug, 'You're still a bitch, though.'

Brooke laughed, 'And you're still a slut.'

'And Chris Keller is very happy to see the love is spreading,' Chris walked over to the girls and spread his arms, 'How about a little love for me?'

Rachel shook her head and laughed, 'Only if Chris Keller stops talking about himself-'

'In third person,' Chris finished Rachel's sentence and gave her a wink, 'Old habits die hard, I guess.'

'At least you're trying, Chris. That's good,' Rachel stood up and gave him a hug, 'There you go.'

'Thanks,' Chris let her go 'Now Chris K- _I_ am going to make a midnight snack, I'm starving after helping all those homeless people on the streets tonight. Anybody interested?'

Brooke shook her head, 'No thanks, I'm off to bed.'

Rachel smacked his arm, 'Sure, what are we having?'

* * *

Nathan_ - _'_We've been on the streets for little over a week now and it feels like the job only gets more difficult. It's so hard to see the same faces every night and to have the same people rejecting your help over and over again. It's sad. But on the other hand; it's very rewarding when someone thanks you for the things you've done for them; even if it's as little as listening to their story or giving them a blanket. It's those things that make it worth wile.'_

'I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I'm really going to miss working in the office,' Rachel turned around on her chair and looked at Haley, who sat at the desk behind her, she saw the look Haley gave her and quickly added, 'And not only because of the convenient working hours, missy.'

Haley smiled, 'I know,' she put down her pen and looked around, 'But we still have nine days to go, though, so just make sure you enjoy them.'

Rachel nodded, 'I will.'

'And I'm sure all the other jobs are just as fun as this.'

'I don't know about that, Haley,' Rachel sighed, 'I think the job Chris, Peyton and Nathan have right now is one of the toughest; going out every night, knowing that your work is never really done.'

'Yeah, that's true.' Haley smiled, 'Good thing we have kitchen duty first.'

'Yeah,' Rachel laughed, 'I don't really cook though.'

Haley looked at her in disbelief, but then laughed as well, 'Oh boy, that's going to be a challenge.'

Rachel nodded 'You bet.'

'Girls? I have something I'd like to discuss with you.' Linda walked in and sat down behind her desk.

Both Rachel and Haley turned, so they looked at Linda and waited curious about what was to come.

Linda put her hands on her desk and looked at Rachel and Haley, 'Greg and I talked about maybe organising a fundraiser for the shelter and we would like your help with that.'

Haley looked at Rachel, who smiled back at her, 'Sure, just tell us what we can do, Linda.'

'Well, I could use you girls to plan the entire event, from start to finish. You'd have to come up with different activities, like maybe performances and an auction. But that's up to you. Just have fun with it.' Linda smiled at the two girls.

'I think that won't be a problem,' Rachel looked at Haley, who nodded in agreement.

'Good, well, I'll leave you two to it. Just tell me if you need anything,' Linda gave them a nod and got up, grabbing her coat, 'I'm off to a meeting downtown, but I'll see you again tomorrow. Bye girls.'

'Bye!' Haley waved at Linda and then walked over to Rachel before she sat down on top of her desk, 'This is going to be awesome!'

'I know!' Rachel leaned back, 'I think you and Chris should perform!'

'Yeah!' Haley said enthusiastically. But then she realised what Rachel had said, 'Wait. What?'

'You should totally perform, Haley! You're such a great singer and I know you'd do great!'

'I don't know about that, Rachel.' Haley shook her head and sat down at her own desk again and thought about it. Of course she had performed before, but always alone. Being on stage with someone else, and that someone being Chris, would be very different.

Rachel_ - _'_I'm so excited about the fundraiser we get to organise! I know it's gonna be a kick-ass show and that we'll have a lot of great performances. And don't worry; I will keep pushing Haley as long as needed until she gives in and agrees to perform. With or without Chris. She's such a great singer and I'd really like to see her on stage. So yeah, everything at the shelter's ok, but at home, not so much. I guess people are starting to stop being polite-'_

* * *

Chris - '_And start getting real. It's what happens, you know. Put seven people, who've never seen each other before, in one house together and at one point someone is going to stop being polite and will show the others what he or she is really made of. But who would have guessed that Peyton and Lucas would be the ones to finally have enough of biting their tongues and acting nice around each other? I sure didn't. I didn't know Peyton was such a feisty thing, but good for her. I'm totally on team Peyton.'_

'Lucas, will you stop being such an uptight ass about things like this?' Peyton shook her head and dropped her pile of clothes back on the bathroom floor. She sighed out of frustration and looked at Lucas who, in return, looked at her as well, 'You know we always do our laundry on Saturday, so why are you bitching about it now? It's only Wednesday for crying out loud!'

Lucas shook his head, 'Because it's annoying the crap out of me that everyone just throws their dirty clothes on the bathroom floor!'

'Exactly, _everyone_, Lucas.' Peyton narrowed her eyes, ready for a full on fight if that was what he wanted. God, one minute she's in here, brushing her teeth, getting ready to go to bed after a long day at work and the next minute Lucas is giving her a lecture about what to do with her laundry. 'So, I don't know what you're yelling at me for, _buddy_, but it looks like I'm not the only one who needs a freaking lecture!'

'Because that entire pile of clothes is yours, Peyton!'

'So what? Look the other way if it bothers you that much! Or go brush your teeth somewhere else, we have five sinks for crying out loud! Put them in the machine for all I care, but stop harassing me about my clothes being all over the damn floor! I really could care less if you think it's a mess or not, Lucas. We are seven people living together, so things are bound to get a bit messy at times. Just deal with it!'

'Is everything ok in here?' Brooke carefully opened the door and popped her head in, 'You're kind of waking everybody up.'

'And your boyfriend kind of is an asshole,' Peyton shot back, 'Maybe you can tell him not to mess with other people's laundry! Especially not at one-thirty in the morning!' She spat out the last couple of words as she turned back towards Lucas.

'Whoa,' Brooke walked in and stood beside Lucas ,'What's going on?'

Lucas sighed, 'I told Peyton to either put her clothes in the basket, so they will be washed on Saturday or to put them in the machine and wash them today and not have them lying all over the bathroom floor.'

Brooke looked at the pile of clothes on the bathroom floor before she looked at Peyton again, 'He sort of has a point, Peyton.'

'Maybe he does,' Peyton shrugged, 'But is it so difficult to _ask_ if I could do something rather than to tell me what to do?'

'What?' Lucas looked at the blonde girl, who still looked as if she was after blood and shook his head, 'I don't get it.'

Peyton sighed, 'You even said it to Brooke, Lucas; "You _told_ me to put my clothes in the basket or to put them in the machine". Is it really so difficult to just ask?'

Brooke threw her hands in the air, 'Are you kidding me?' She shook her head, 'Is that what this is all about? Grow up, Peyton,' she shot Peyton a look, before she grabbed Lucas' hand and started pulling him towards their bedroom, 'Let's go, Luke.'

Peyton shook her head as she watched Brooke and Lucas walking out of the bathroom, still angry. She quietly walked to her bedroom and grabbed a sweater from her closet, careful not to wake Nathan up. She put the sweater on and made her way downstairs, out the front door, trying to cool down a bit before going to bed, knowing that she couldn't sleep if she was this angry.

She sat down on the stairs that led to the sidewalk and folded her arms around her legs. Peyton rested her head on her knees and bit her lip, feeling the tears that had formed in her eyes earlier, starting to make their way out. Part out of anger and part out of frustration that she had let other people get the best of her once again. Why couldn't she just give in and agree with Lucas concerning her clothes? It probably would have made things so much easier for her.

Peyton_ - _'_That fight with Lucas was dumb, I know.. And not because he should have seen it coming from the moment he started nagging about the dirty laundry the minute I walked into the bathroom after a long day at work, when all I really wanted was to just brush my teeth and go to bed. No. It was dumb because I should have known better. Because I know that certain roommates now think I'm a total bitch because I went off like that. And because Lucas is such a nice little boy and never does anything wrong and is friends with everybody else, I am now the moody, closed off girl who will bite your head off if you come to close.' _

* * *

'Are you ok?' Haley sat down opposite to Nathan, who was sitting at her desk and watched him as he played around with his water bottle. She had been surprised when he had walked into "her" office just minutes earlier, but didn't mind. He was a good guy and she liked talking to him.

Nathan didn't look up when Haley spoke to him, but instead concentrated on peeling the label of his bottle off. It had always been difficult for him to open up to people, especially if they asked such direct questions, like Haley had done just now, because it made him feel like they were somehow attacking him and his personal life. It took him a lot of strength not to get up and walk away without answering or just to say that he was fine, so she would leave him alone. But Haley didn't deserve that. She was a sweet girl, who never seemed to judge anyone, so he figured he could take a chance for once.

Nathan sighed and finally looked up, 'I'm ok, just tired, I guess.'

Haley smiled at him, 'It's hard work, isn't it? I'm glad it's Friday tomorrow.'

Nathan nodded, 'Yeah. But it's not just physically, you know, but mentally as well. I really like the work we're doing, because we're able to give back, especially when you're working on the streets and really help people by giving them blankets or telling them about the shelter, but no matter how much I like doing this, I can't wait until we get to change our jobs so I can work in the office a couple of weeks.'

'I can imagine,' Haley nodded, 'To be honest, I'm a bit scared about when Rachel and I have to do your job. Not that I'm, you know, scared to go out at night or anything, but just to see what all those people have to go through day after day, knowing that you can only do _so much_ to help them, that you'll never really get them off the streets. I know I won't be able to let that go when I get home at night.'

Nathan put his bottle down and looked at Haley, 'This is probably going to sound like I don't give a damn, Haley, but you have to let it go at some point. I know that most of those people didn't choose to live on the streets, but they do have a choice to get out. If they really, really want it, they can. And if they won't, then the best thing you can do is try to make their life as comfortable as possible. By listening to their stories, giving them blankets or sending them to the shelter. But I know you are going to meet some people who will refuse your help and that's their right, you know. You're just going to have to deal with that. You can't help people who don't want help.'

'Yeah.' Haley rested her head in her hands and let Nathan's words go through her mind. He was probably right about some people not wanting help, but she knew herself and knew she would do everything she could to make sure everybody would get their share. His words sounded familiar though and she remembered the conversation they had had last week, when they sat outside together with Rachel. Already then he had told them that you only can help those who want to be helped and she wondered if there was something that had happened in his life that made him feel that way. She looked at him and studied his face, as he had picked up his bottle again, rolling it between his hands. Haley noticed a hint of sadness in his eyes and decided to push him a bit on the subject, not knowing how he would react, 'What happened, Nathan?'

'What do you mean?'

Haley reached across her desk and put her hand on his, 'Who did you try to help?'

'I,' He was about to pretend that he didn't know what she was talking about, but again he figured that Haley deserved better than that, so he cleared his throat and looked up, 'My Mom.'

Haley nodded, encouraging him to go on.

Nathan tightened his grip on the bottle and continued 'It started with prescription drugs for her back, which she soon became addicted to. It wasn't long before she started mixing hem with alcohol and became a full-on addict. I made her go to rehab three times before she ended up taking an overdose on the day I was about to pick her up for her fourth time in rehab.'

'I'm sorry.' Haley squeezed his arm, not knowing what else to say.

Nathan shrugged, trying to not get emotional, 'She was just one of those people who didn't want help.'

Brooke_ - _'_Haley's such a sweetheart. She never judges people, but always tries to see you like you really are, you know. She listens to your story and tries to find out where you come from and what you're really like before she makes up her mind and decides whether she likes you or not. I wish I could be like that. I always judge people by the first impression I get and I know how difficult it will be for them to make me change my mind. It's not a good thing, I know, but hopefully I can change that while I'm here.'_

* * *

'Lucas, my man, is there any dinner left for me?' Chris walked into the kitchen at the shelter and lifted some of the lids on the pottery that was on the stove.

Lucas shook his head, irritated by Chris walking in, 'What are you doing here, Chris? You are supposed to start at four; it's four-thirty already.'

'I know,' Chris playfully punched Lucas on his arm, 'I know. But Peyton is picking up some blankets somewhere downtown and Nathan is in the office with Haley and Rachel. Peyton told me to wait here until she picks us up again. So _I _thought-'

'That you could steal some food here.' Lucas finished his sentence, 'And why wouldn't you take food from the homeless people that come here, when we have a full fridge at home? It really seems like the right thing to do.'

'Calm down, chef,' Chris grabbed a carrot and took a bite, 'There's enough to go around here.'

Lucas sighed out of frustration and concentrated on cutting carrots again, 'When is Peyton coming back?'

Chris shrugged. 'I don't know, chef. Why?'

'So I know when you'll be out of my kitchen.'

'Speaking of Peyt,' Chris leaned against the counter and finished his carrot, 'I heard something about you getting in a fight with her yesterday? What happened, chef?'

'Will you stop calling me chef?' Lucas put down his knife and clenched his fists. Irritated.

'Sure thing,' Chris smiled, '_Chef_.'

'Chris!'

'What?' Chris shrugged, 'You_ are_ working in the kitchen and you _are_ cooking, so you _are _a chef in theory.'

'Whatever,' Lucas picked up his knife again and returned to his carrots, 'And that fight is none of your business.'

'Then you guys shouldn't have been screaming at each other like that, dude. The entire house could hear you,' Chris grabbed another carrot and took another bite before he pointed the carrot at Lucas, 'I even heard Brooke had to come between you two.'

Lucas shook his head and sighed, 'I'm not talking to you about this, Chris, so just let it go.'

'Fine,' Chris pushed himself off the counter and started walking out of the kitchen, 'Where is Brooke, by the way?'

'She's doing some grocery shopping with Rachel.'

'Cool. Well, see you later, chef!' Chris said as he walked out of the door.

Lucas_ - _'_Chris annoys the crap out of me. I'm so glad I don't have to share my room or my job with him. I know he and Nathan sort of get along, because I never heard Nathan complain about him, but still, I feel bad for Nathan for having to work with him. And Peyton. I mean, I don't feel bad for Peyton, but for Nathan, because he has to work with her too. She's such a moody person. Like the other day, when she totally went crazy about my comment on her laundry. That was not cool. But I think Nathan gets along with her just fine. Good for him, you know.'_

* * *

'Nathan?' Peyton turned on her side, so she was facing Nathan even though the lights in their bedroom had been switched off. She wasn't sure if he was still awake and was about to turn back again when he answered.

'Yeah?'

'I'm sorry about your Mom.'

Nathan opened his eyes and wanted to ask how she knew about his Mom, when Peyton already started talking again.

'I was about to pick you up yesterday when I overheard that part of your conversation with Haley.' She bit her lip, not knowing if he would be mad at her for eavesdropping, even though she hadn't meant to. Peyton felt tension taking over her muscles, as she waited for Nathan to say something. She took a deep breath and all of a sudden she wasn't sure if it was such a good idea to talk about this after all, 'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. I just uhm, I can relate, that's all. And if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here.'

'Thank you.' Nathan let out his breath. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness now and he looked at Peyton, seeing her eyes catching some of the light that came through the window. Even though he wasn't sure she could see him, he smiled, 'Same here, Peyton; if you ever need to talk, just let me know.'

Peyton felt her muscles relax and smiled, 'Thank you.'


	6. Episode 6 The fifth week

_**AN: **__First of all - thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter! You're all reviewing rock stars :) I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas and I want to wish you all the best for 2009! I hope it will be a FABULOUS YEAR for each and every one of you, with lots of happiness, love and opportunities!__  
__Second - I don't think I've ever struggled with a chapter more than I have with this one. It was a constant fight, but I'm glad I survived :) And, even better, it turns out to be the longest chapter I've ever written, so yay! Don't know if it's the best I've ever written, probably not, but who cares? It's finished! Enough with the random update facts now, time to enjoy!__  
__Remember to leave a review while you're at it, they still are L.O.V.E. :)_

* * *

Nathan;_ 'This is the true story…'_

Brooke; _'Of seven strangers…'_

Lucas; _'Picked to live in a house…'_

Haley; _'Work together and have their lives taped…'_

Rachel; _'To find out what happens…'_

Chris; _'When people stop being polite…'_

Peyton; _'And start getting real.'_

_The Real World, New York_

* * *

Peyton - _'I know that I said earlier that Chris and I really don't have that much in common. But we do. We're both artists and we're both very passionate about what we do. And not just that, there are a lot of characteristics that we share; we hate to be vulnerable and we rather close ourselves of than let anyone in, just so we won't get hurt. He really is a good guy. Yeah, so this week was uhm, how should I put it? An eye-opener, I guess you could say that. People turned out to be different than expected, sometimes good and sometimes bad. Let's just say that some people really have disappointed me this week. And I'm sure I have disappointed some people as well. I guess we all just stopped being polite somewhere along the line.' _

'Don't you love it?'

'What?' Peyton looked up from her drawing and saw Chris standing in front of her, looking at her sketchbook, where she was trying to come up with designs for the posters and flyers for the fundraiser.

'That feeling?' Chris pulled back a chair and sat down on the opposite side of the table, 'I see how concentrated you are when you're drawing and I recognise that. I recognise that feeling of being able to lose yourself in your art, letting the everyday problems pass you by for a moment, not having to worry about what's going on in your life.'

Peyton smiled, surprised to hear Chris say something she could relate to, 'Yeah. It's a great feeling, isn't it?'

'It's called passion, Peyton,' Chris smiled back at her and nodded, 'And it's the best feeling in the world.'

'Speaking of passion; Rachel told me the label you met up with didn't want to produce any of your new songs,' Peyton looked at Chris with compassion in her eyes, 'I'm sorry to hear that, Chris. I really am.'

'Thanks,' Chris shrugged, 'But it's their loss, really. It just sucks that I had to put myself out there; let them hear my songs, which is really like letting them hear my feelings and my thoughts and just, I had to be really vulnerable, you know, because I don't just write songs about random stuff. They're about love and lost and longing and I don't know. It's just hard to put yourself out there only to get rejected.'

Peyton nodded.

'I know I act like I'm a tough guy,' Chris smirked, 'But I'm really not. It's just better to let people think that nothing they can say or do will hurt you, than to let them see how vulnerable you really are.'

Peyton laughed, 'Amen.'

Chris nodded, 'I guess we're pretty much the same that way, huh?'

'Yeah,' Peyton leaned back and grinned, 'Don't worry though, your secret's safe with me. I won't tell anyone that you're really just a big cry-baby.'

Chris laughed and shook his head, 'Oh, really? Well, in that case I won't tell anyone you're really just a girl who's afraid she'll get hurt if she lets people in. And I especially won't tell anyone that they might need a jackhammer to get through the walls you've put up in all these years.'

'Oh, really?' Peyton folded her arms and looked at Chris.

'Really.' Chris mimicked her motions and smiled.

'Well isn't that too bad,' Peyton leaned forward, 'Why don't we make a deal then?'

'I'm listening.'

'You won't tell anyone about my walls.' Peyton raised her eyebrow.

'And you?' Chris joined in, waiting to hear what her offer was.

'And I will make sure a label will produce your new album.' Peyton leaned back and smiled.

'How?' Chris looked at her, curious.

Peyton shrugged, 'Just start writing, Chris Keller. Make sure you have enough songs to fill an entire album by the time our time in New York is over. _Cry-baby_.' she stuck her tongue out before she grabbed her sketchbook and pencils and got up.

'Only if you never call me cry-baby again.'

'We'll see about that.' Peyton smiled and walked out of the kitchen.

* * *

Chris_ - _'_Our two lovebirds are still very much in love. And boy are we all rooting for them. They are such a nice couple and they are perfect for each other and they, make. Me. Sick.. They're just, yuk. Too happy and too forgiving and too in love. I don't know. Maybe I'm just a sarcastic asshole who has never experienced that amazing feeling. Maybe I never will. I don't know. I just wish they would stop acting like they were joined at the hip, you know? They even work together. Get a life, people! Spend some time apart! For the love of God.'_

'Brooke, come on!' Lucas stood at the bottom of the stairs and waited for Brooke to finish her hair, so they could go to work. He tapped his fingers on the banisters, starting to get impatient.

'I'm coming!' Brooke grabbed her purse and rushed down the stairs. She knew they were running late, but blamed the fact that it was Monday. She always had a problem getting up on Mondays, which was why she made it a habit of working at home on Mondays ever since she started her own company. But working in a homeless shelter didn't really allow you to work at home on any given day, let alone Monday. So even though Brooke tried, it still wasn't her favourite day.

She came to a halt right in front of Lucas and gave him a kiss, 'Let's go, boyfriend.' She grabbed her coat and scarf and put them on. She saw Peyton in the kitchen and waved to her roommate, 'Bye Peyton! See you later.'

Peyton looked up and gave both of them a little nod, still too pissed off to talk to either of them.

'Whatever.' Brooke said under her breath as she opened the front door and walked outside. Angry that Peyton still wouldn't talk to them after the whole bathroom incident. It was so childish.

Lucas shook his head. Peyton really needed to get over their fight. Sure, maybe he shouldn't have yelled at her like that, but it was done. It had been five days ago, she should get over it. He decided not to let it get to him and put his arm around Brooke's shoulder as they walked outside. Even though it was already the end of March, snow had fallen the night before and it was cold outside. Lucas pulled Brooke close as they walked to the shelter, careful not to slip on the snow-covered sidewalks.

'I love New York when it's all covered in snow!' Brooke looked around and admired the view of the white blanket that had been laid down on the city. She saw people smiling everywhere, who, like her, were enjoying the snow.

'You know what would be perfect?' Lucas asked, as they passed Central Park.

'What?' Brooke looked at him with a curious look on her face.

'If we were inside somewhere, so we could enjoy the snow with hot cocoa in and in front of a lit up fire place.' Lucas smiled as he pictured him and Brooke in that scenery.

Brooke smacked his arm, 'Oh come on, Luke. You're such a bore. There's nothing wrong with getting a little cold every now and then.'

'Really?'

Brooke nodded. All of a sudden she jumped up as she felt Lucas' cold hands under her sweater. She tried to push his arms away, but he kept them on her back, 'Lucas! Get your cold hands off of me!' Brooke tried to turn around, so he would lose his grip, but it didn't work.

'Oh come on, Brooke. There's nothing wrong with getting a little cold every now and then.' Lucas said, as he gave her a wink and took his hands off of her back.

Brooke shook her head and stared at him, trying to look mad, 'You're such a child.'

Lucas laughed and put his arm around her shoulders again, 'Oh come on, babe, you're tough, you'll survive.'

'It's a good thing we're here, mister, or you would have something else coming.' Brooke opened the door to the shelter and stepped inside. They made their way to the kitchen right away where Virginia was already preparing dinner. Brooke took her coat and scarf off and put them on the chair in the far end of the kitchen before she walked over to the elderly woman to greet her, 'Hello, Virginia.'

'Hello, Brooke,' Virginia smiled and patted Brooke's arm, 'It's your last week in the kitchen, isn't it, love?'

Brooke nodded, 'Yes it is. I think Haley and Rachel will help you from next week.'

Virginia shook her head, 'That red-haired girl is way too feisty, if you ask me.'

Lucas laughed but Brooke smiled, 'Don't worry, Virginia, I'm sure both of them will do great. But don't forget we still have five days left here, before we have to go out on the streets.'

'That's right,' Lucas joined Brooke and stood on Virginia's other side, putting his arm around her small shoulders, 'So, what do you want us to do today?'

* * *

Rachel - _'Oh Chris. Chris, Chris, Chris. He still isn't a happy camper working here at the shelter. He's the last one to start his shift and the first one to stop everyday. I don't get it, you know? I mean, no matter what you do, in the end we all have to spend nine weeks here and it's not going to go any faster if you keep acting like you're too good for this job. I know, I know, I basically told everyone the same thing when we first started here, but things changed. I really like it now. I think almost everybody does. But Chris, not so much. Oh well, we can't help them all, can we?' _

'How's the fundraiser coming along, girls?' Linda said, as Haley and Rachel walked into their office that morning.

Haley smiled, 'Very good. I'm meeting up with Chris in a minute, to see if there are any people he knows that could help us. And I've already asked Peyton to do the artwork for the posters. She should have everything done by the end of this week, so we can print the flyers and posters next week and start handing them out and putting them up.'

'Very good,' Linda smiled and crossed some things off her checklist, 'It sounds like thing are going as planned.'

Both Rachel and Haley nodded.

'Good, well, I'll be out of the office today, as Greg and I are going to meet with some companies to see if they are willing to donate anything for our auction,' Linda grabbed her planner and purse and got up, 'So I'll see you tomorrow, girls.'

'Bye.' Both Haley and Rachel said.

Linda turned around before she reached the door and looked at the girls, 'Don't forget to fill out your evaluation forms, girls. I'll need them by Thursday.'

'Sure.' Haley answered. She waved at Linda and looked at Rachel, 'I'm already done with mine, so if you still need help with yours?'

'That would be great, Haley,' Rachel smiled, 'I know we still have two days to hand them in, but I really don't know what I should write down.'

Haley smiled, 'Don't worry; we'll have a look at them later today, ok?'

Rachel nodded 'Thanks.'

'Ok,' Haley got up and grabbed her notebook, 'I'm off to talk to Chris, so I'll see you later.'

She walked through the corridor to the staff room, where Chris was already waiting for her. Haley sat down on one of the sofas and looked at Chris.

'Hey.' He didn't look at her, still not understanding why he had to come in so early. He had suggested to meet this afternoon, when his shift would start, but Haley had insisted that he'd come by in the morning. Chris leaned back and yawned, not caring if it annoyed Haley or not.

'Chris?' Haley looked at him and shook her head, 'Do you even want to do this?'

'Sure,' Chris nodded slowly, 'Just not at this hour.'

Haley shook her head and sighed, 'Oh, _man_ up, Chris. Not too many people here can say they've slept in a real bed last night, so stop whining.'

Chris closed his eyes, 'Don't give me that crap, Haley. You know how I feel about working here, so stop harassing me about it. I do my job, you do yours. Let's just get this over with.'

'Fine,' Haley looked at her notebook and cleared her throat, 'I need you to find me three artists who will perform at the fundraiser. One of them can be you. That's fine. If you know any people who would want to help by doing the sound or the lights, even better. Just let them give us a call.' She looked at Chris, who nodded, his eyes still closed. She sighed and continued, 'If you don't know anyone, please let us know as well, so we can expand our search.'

'Don't worry about that, Hales,' Chris sat up and opened his eyes, 'I know people.'

'Well good,' Haley got up and looked at Chris, 'Thanks for coming.' She started making her way back to the office when the sound of Chris' voice stopped her.

'Wait!' He got up as well and looked at Haley, 'This is it?'

Haley nodded.

'And you had me coming in at nine-thirty in the morning just to tell me to find some artists and sound- and light-guys?' Chris shook his head in disbelief.

Haley nodded again.

'Why?'

Haley shrugged, 'Because it's time for you to start taking this job more serious, Chris.'

With that she turned around and walked back to her office, leaving Chris and his astonishment behind. She smiled as she sat down at her desk, satisfied with the outcome. Not only because Chris would for sure get them artists to perform, but because she liked getting her point across.

* * *

Nathan - _'This week was pretty intense, I guess you could say. Everyone is getting involved in the fundraiser more and more and I think we're all trying really hard to make this work. We're almost done with the third week at work, which means we'll be changing jobs next Monday. Haley and Rachel will start working in the kitchen, Lucas and Brooke will go out and Peyton, Chris and I will start in the office. Should be fun to have a change of scenery, I guess. Other than that, things at the house still are a bit tense after what we now call "the bathroom inciden"' and I'm not sure that will change any time soon. It's too bad, but what are you going to do about it, right? You can't just tell everyone to get along. It doesn't work like that.'_

Lucas knocked on the door and popped his head in, 'Hi girls.'

'Hey Luke,' Haley smiled at him, 'What are you doing here?'

Lucas walked inside and sat down on Haley's desk, 'Well, I heard you talked to Chris yesterday, about the fundraiser and I wondered if there's anything I could do to help?'

'Always.' Rachel smiled at Lucas.

Haley shook her head and laughed when she saw Lucas' cheeks redden, 'Don't mind her, Luke. We'll come up with something to do for you.'

'Great!' He got up and walked over to the window, that looked out over the courtyard, 'Are we having an indoor or outdoor event?'

'Outdoor. It will be May when we have the fundraiser, so the weather should be fine,' Rachel got up as well and stood next to Lucas, 'We're having the podium back there,' she said as she pointed to far end of the courtyard, 'And we were thinking of having a bunch of picnic tables here, so people can sit down and grab something to eat.'

'Cool,' Lucas turned around and leaned against the window, 'I think it's going to be great.'

'Me too.' Haley smiled at Lucas and Rachel.

'So, listen,' Lucas walked back to the door, 'There's lunch waiting for you in the kitchen if you're hungry. Just pop in, ok?'

'Sure. Thanks, Lucas.' Rachel sat down and concentrated on her spreadsheet again. There still was a lot of work to be done, before they would finish working for Linda at the end of this week.

* * *

Lucas_ - __'I don't know why Brooke still bothers and tries to fix things between me and Peyton. She's just wasting her time, if you ask me. We just don't get along. Which is too bad, because when I first met her I thought she was a really nice girl, really down-to-earth, you know? But I'm happy everyone else still seems to be getting along. There's just this tense atmosphere, with me and Brooke on one side and Peyton on the other. It's too bad, but that's what happens. Brooke's a sweetheart though and I'm glad we're still together. I love having her next to me when we go to sleep at night and even more that she's still there when I wake up in the morning.' _

'Nathan?' Brooke asked when she heard the door of the bathroom close. She knew he was in there and she had been waiting for him to get out, so she could take a shower. But first she needed to ask him something.

'Yeah?' Nathan popped his head in and looked at Brooke, who was grabbing some clothes out of her closet.

'Can I ask you something?' Brooke put the clothes down on her bed and sat down.

'Sure.' Nathan walked in and sat down on Lucas' bed. He rested his arms on his legs and waited for Brooke's question.

Brooke sighed 'It's just, you seem to be getting along with both Lucas and Peyton and I wanted to know what you think of that whole bathroom incident?'

'You mean when he yelled at Peyton for not putting her laundry in the basket?'

'Yeah.' Brooke nodded and bit her lip. She had been thinking about it for a while now, especially because Lucas and Peyton seemed to be avoiding each other since it happened.

Nathan shrugged, 'I don't know, Brooke. I wasn't there, so.'

'I know,' Brooke smiled. 'But don't you think it's stupid how they are avoiding each other? And Peyton won't even talk to me, just because I chose Luke's side.'

Nathan leaned back and wondered where all of this was coming from, why all of a sudden Brooke was on a mission to make amends. From what Peyton had told him, Lucas just went off at her, only because her laundry was piled up on the bathroom floor. As far as he was concerned it wasn't a reason to yell at someone, especially if it was the first time something like that happened. And then Brooke had butted in and told Peyton to grow up. He could understand where Peyton was coming from. He would have been pissed as well.

Brooke sighed, 'I don't know, Nathan. I just want to see all of us get along, you know?'

'Good luck with that,' he shook his head, 'You can't expect all of us to like each other, Brooke. It just doesn't work that way.'

'Yeah, but we could at least try to act normal around each other, right?' Brooke got up and grabbed her clothes, 'Would you try talking to Peyton for me? Maybe you can reach her and get her to talk to us again.'

Nathan got up as well, 'I'll try, but I can't make any promises, ok?'

'Ok,' Brooke smiled, 'Thanks, Nathan.'

* * *

Brooke_ - __'Rachel's such a bitch sometimes. I can't believe she gave Nathan a beer. Of course, Nathan is old and wise enough to say 'no' or to just take one, but still. She should have known better. Especially since Haley told her about what happened to his Mom. Can you believe, by the way, that Haley told Rachel that? And then of course, Rachel told me, so that's how I know, but still. Nathan told Haley that in confidence and for some reason she thought it was alright to share it with Rachel, who probably kept nagging her about it all day long, but Haley shouldn't have given in. I bet Nathan will be pretty pissed off when he finds out about that. Or maybe he already has.'_

'Hi.' Rachel said as she kept her eyes on the TV screen in front of her. She was lying on the couch and was watching a random television show about how one day giant meteorites would come crashing down on earth. Not that it really interested her, but there wasn't anything else on. Besides, even though she had tried, she couldn't sleep, so anything was better than watching at her ceiling from a couple of more hours.

'Hi.' Nathan took off his jacket and put it on the other couch. He just came home from work and was surprised to see someone was still awake. Usually all the other roommates were asleep when Chris, Peyton and he came home. He sat down on the couch and glanced at the TV, 'What are you watching?'

Rachel snorted, 'Discovery Channel,' she looked at Nathan and noticed he was alone 'Where's the rest of your posse?'

Nathan laughed, 'What?'

Rachel sat up and put down the remote control, 'Where are Chris and Peyton?'

Nathan sighed, 'I don't know. Chris said something about a band he wanted to see and I think Peyton decided to tag along.'

'Which annoys the crap out of you.' Rachel added, while looking at Nathan to see if his expression gave anything away. It did.

'Why would that annoy me?' Nathan looked at Rachel and shook his head.

'Because,' Rachel got up and sat down next to Nathan, she put her hand on his leg and squeezed it, 'It's not that hard to see that you like her, Nate. Everybody here knows it.'

Nathan knew Rachel had a point, after all he was attracted to Peyton, there was no denying that. But because he wasn't the one to walk around with his heart on his sleeve, he didn't answer her. He was mad at himself, though that his feelings had been on display like that.

'It's alright, Nathan.' Rachel patted his leg as she watched his expression change. She could see he was trying to come up with a way to deny his feelings, 'I think Peyton's kind of oblivious to it, so your secret's safe with us.'

Nathan shook his head, 'I don't know how that's going to make me feel any better, Rachel.'

'Me neither,' Rachel laughed, knowing that she'd probably be the one to blurt it out to Peyton at one point, 'But I had fun saying it. Like we're all in on some big conspiracy or something.'

Nathan laughed as wel, 'Sure.'

Rachel got up and walked to the kitchen, 'How about I fix you a drink?'

'Rachel,'

'I know, I know,' Rachel held up her hands, 'You don't drink because you're mother was an alcoholic junkie and you're afraid that you'll turn out just like her. But one beer won't kill you, Nate. Trust me. It'll just help you forget the pain you're feeling right now.'

Nathan shook his head and followed Rachel to the kitchen. It hadn't been a good night to begin with, when he heard Chris and Peyton would go out together, but after he had just found out _someone_ obviously couldn't keep her mouth shut, his night had only gotten worse and he could feel his body craving the alcohol. It would help him calm down and numb the pain he was feeling in his heart. It hurt him that Haley had told Rachel about his Mother, but he had expected it.

That's why he hadn't told anyone in the house that he used to be an alcoholic too and that he had been sober for only five months before he came here.

'Here,' Rachel handed him a bottle of beer and held up hers, 'Cheers.'

Nathan only nodded and gulped down half of his bottle in one go.

'Easy there, tiger.' Rachel laughed and looked at Nathan, who had taken another gulp and had finished his beer. She grabbed another bottle from the fridge and walked over to him. She put the bottle in front of him and put her arm around his shoulders, bringing her mouth to his ear, 'I can help you forget her, Nate.'

Nathan nodded, not sure if Rachel meant his Mother or Peyton. But right now he didn't care; all he wanted was another beer.

* * *

Haley_ - __'Sometimes it's better to pretend that you didn't hear certain things or didn't see certain things, than to tell the truth. Not only for yourself, but also for the people that are involved. I knew where Nathan was that morning, but I decided to pretend I didn't. And not because by telling Peyton the truth I knew I would break her heart, because that would happen, no matter what. But because sometimes people need to figure things out on their own. They are the ones that should find out their heart is about to break, so that maybe they can prepare themselves, if that makes any sense? It's just, all you can do is tell them that it will be alright. I just hope it will be alright, you know?' _

'Morning.' Peyton rubbed her eyes as she walked into the kitchen, where Haley was having breakfast. She grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the fridge and grabbed a glass, before she sat down next to Haley.

'Morning sunshine.' Haley mocked, smiling to let Peyton know she was only joking.

Peyton stuck out her tongue as she poured some juice into her glass. She put one foot on the chair and rested her head on her knee, 'Have you seen Nathan this morning?'

Haley shook her head, 'No. Why?'

'I don't know,' Peyton sighed and took a sip, 'Chris and I went to a concert last night, but Nathan went straight home after work. At least that's what he said. I just think it's strange that he wasn't in bed when I came home last night and then when I woke up this morning, his bed still looked the same, like nobody had slept there. I'm just worried.'

'Wait,' Haley said, as she remembered something, 'He _did_ come home last night. I heard him talking to Rachel in the kitchen when I went to the bathroom at about one in the morning.'

'Hmm.' Peyton shrugged, not knowing where he could be. She wondered if he and Rachel had gone clubbing, but then again, Nathan really wasn't the one to go out, so she quickly let go of that idea. She shook her head, thinking he was a grown man who was perfectly capable of taking care of himself.

Haley put her hand on Peyton's arm 'I'm sure he's fine, hon. They probably had a couple of drinks last night and he fell asleep somewhere. There were a lot of empty beer bottles on the counter this morning.'

Peyton nodded, knowing Haley was probably right, but she couldn't get rid of that strange feeling she had. She put her glass down and got up, smiling at Haley, 'Thanks. I'm just going to take a shower.'

Haley nodded and looked at Peyton as she walked away. Somehow Haley felt the urge to look after that girl. She shook her head and returned to her breakfast, hoping for Peyton's sake that Nathan would show up soon.

Peyton grabbed some clothes from her closet and was walking back to the bathroom, when she heard muffled sounds coming from Rachel's bedroom. She stopped and kept quiet, curious to find out who was in there with Rachel, as Chris had gone home with a random blonde girl. Her heart dropped when she heard Rachel laugh after a male voice made a comment about the amount of beer they had shared last night and the hangover he ended up with. It was a voice that sounded an awful lot like Nathan's.


	7. Episode 7 The sixth week

_**AN: **__Hi, guys! Remember me? I can't believe it's been almost a year (!) since I last updated this fic. I am so sorry about that.__  
__I hope you are still interested in this, as I'm finally getting somewhere again with writing, but if you're not, I don't blame you!__  
__I have a few of the next chapters done, so I hope to get back to regular updating on this one. And here's the first one. Remember; reviews are still L.O.V.E. and it would make my day if you'd let me know what you think! Because you have no idea how nervous I am about posting this :)_

* * *

Nathan;_ 'This is the true story…'_

Brooke; _'Of seven strangers…'_

Lucas; _'Picked to live in a house…'_

Haley; _'Work together and have their lives taped…'_

Rachel; _'To find out what happens…'_

Chris; _'When people stop being polite…'_

Peyton; _'And start getting real.'_

_The Real World, New York_

* * *

'Peyton, come on!' Chris knocked on her bedroom door once more and heard her groan. He smiled; it was exactly the reaction he was hoping for. Ever since Peyton told him she wasn't a fan of early mornings, he had made it his goal to make their three weeks working in the office her own personal hell, by being unusually cheery in the morning. He knocked again, 'I know, I know, we were not put on this planet to start working at nine in the morning, but it's what we're going to have to do for the next three weeks. Get used to it, babe.'

Peyton swung her door open and shot a look at Chris, 'Don't mess with me, _honey_.'

Chris threw his hands in the air, but grinned, 'What? Is there something I should know? Like; not to talk to you until noon, or you'll bite my head off?'

'Something like that.' Peyton mumbled as she walked past Chris, who was still smiling, amused by her total inability of being a morning person.

'Let's go, Keller, before this gets ugly,' she made her way down the stairs, 'Where's our other _colleague_?'

Chris followed her and grabbed his coat before he opened the door, 'Already waiting outside, like a little kid on his first day of school.'

'God.' Peyton shook her head and walked outside, past Chris who was still holding the door. And indeed, she found Nathan waiting for them on the pavement, ready to go.

'Good morning.' Nathan smiled at Peyton, but she walked right past him. He looked at Chris with a raised eyebrow and mouthed "What?" as he pointed at Peyton, who was already approaching the corner.

'I don't know, Nate,' Chris punched Nathan's shoulder, 'I guess she really doesn't like getting up early.'

Nathan wondered if that really was what was going on. She had been acting weird all weekend and hadn't said one single word to him since they were finished with their shift on Friday evening, before she went out with Chris. At first he wondered if Chris had done something to Peyton to make her upset, but he had seen them talking yesterday, so he figured it must be something else. But he didn't know what.

Chris shook his head and started walking faster, so they could catch up with Peyton, who was now out of sight. He knew something was going on, but until now, he couldn't put his finger on it. He had asked her yesterday if everything was alright, genuinely concerned about her, but she had told him there was nothing he should be worrying about, so he had decided to not push her about the subject. But seeing the interaction, or the lack of that, really, between her and Nathan, Chris had a pretty good idea what she was upset about.

He caught up with Peyton and threw his arm around her shoulders. Without looking at her, but making sure Nathan was far enough away so he wouldn't hear their conversation, he put his two cents in, 'He's not worth it, Peyton.'

Peyton was surprised at his comment. She let out a breath, shook her head and spoke softly, 'I think he is, though.'

'Listen, I don't know what he did or didn't do, or whatever,' Chris looked at Peyton, 'But I'll be happy to throw a few punches if you want.'

Peyton couldn't help but smile, 'Dude, he'll kick your ass if you do that.'

'I know,' Chris pulled her close, 'But it made you smile, didn't it?'

Nathan caught up with Chris and Peyton and instead of answering, Peyton just nodded and let go of Chris. They made their way to the shelter and instead of meeting Greg, they went to Linda's office this time, to hear what they would be doing the next three weeks.

Chris_ - _'_For once I didn't mind getting up early. I know how much Peyton hates getting up at this time of day and so yeah, I messed around with her a bit. Nothing serious and I know she can take it. She's a big girl. Anyway, working in the office is much better, because we get to stay inside all day, just doing random things on the pc. But I have to tell you, being in a small room with Nathan and Peyton all day will drive you crazy at some point. They don't say a word to each other, well, Nathan tried a few times, but Peyton never really answers, so I think he has given up. I don't know exactly what's going on between them, but it's a definite mood killer, I can tell you that much.'_

* * *

Lucas_ - _'_So, we've changed jobs this week. Haley and Rachel are now working in the kitchen, Nathan, Chris and Peyton have moved to the office and Brooke and I are working outside. So far, I have to say that I prefer the kitchen. I think it's because we are on our own most of the time when we're outside, with Greg only checking in when we come in at the office before our shift starts. But we know we can always call him if there's anything we need help with so that's good.'_

'Hi gorgeous,' Brooke smiled as she gave Lucas a kiss, 'You almost done here?'

Lucas nodded, 'Almost.'

'Good.' Brooke stood next to him, watching him as he put the remaining blankets back on the shelves in the storage room outside the shelter.

He locked the door behind him when he was done and grabbed Brooke's hand, 'Let's go home, pretty girl.'

'Oh, no, no, no,' Brooke scoffed, 'We're not going home.'

'What?' Lucas looked at her, surprised.

Brooke shook her head and pulled him in the opposite direction, 'I've got other plans for you.'

She stopped a cab and gave him the address. Lucas looked at her, curious where they were going. The little knowledge he had of New York told him the address was in the upper east side of the city.

Brooke put her leg over his and put her mouth next to his ear, 'You know, I might be wearing some pretty hot lingerie under these jeans.'

Lucas looked at her, keeping one eye on the cabdriver and grinned, 'Really?'

'Really.' Brooke's voice was husky and she licked her lips.

'Interesting.' Lucas gave her a kiss when all of a sudden the cab pulled over. Before he knew it, Brooke had paid and was already waiting for him outside. He got out as well and looked at the empty store in front of him, 'Remind me where we are again?'

Brooke smiled and leaned against Lucas, '_This_ will be the location for my new store. It will open this fall and after the show is over, I will pretty much spend all my time here, trying to get it to look absolutely fabulous.'

Lucas put his arms around her waist and kissed Brooke's temple, 'I'm sure it's going to be great, babe.'

'I know.' Brooke turned around and kissed Lucas, 'But I didn't bring you here to admire the building.' She let go of him and grabbed his hand, taking the keys to the door out of her pocket with her free hand. Brooke opened the door and let Lucas to the back, where the storage room was.

'Why did you, then?'

Brooke sighed, 'Because we are supposed to be in that part of our relationship where we have really hot sex all the time. But we are sharing room with Hale, so hot sex isn't really on the agenda anytime soon. And I know _I _haven't gotten any lately and I hope you didn't either. And, damn it, I have been horny as hell for days now and I couldn't take it anymore, ok?'

'Brooke,' Lucas hesitated, not sure if they were even allowed inside. But then again, it was _her_ store, so why not, right?

'Shhh,' Brooke kissed him again and jumped up, throwing her legs around his waist, 'You might wanna be getting to that lingerie soon, boy, otherwise there won't be any hot sex for a long time.'

Lucas put Brooke on of the tables in the room and took her jacket and shirt off, 'Yes ma'am.'

Brooke_ - _'_Yeah, I had a great week. Did I tell you about the new store I'm opening? Well, let me tell you, the storage room's _great_.'_

* * *

Nathan_ - _'_This week I gave Haley a piece of mind. And then she got upset and whatever. It's not my fault, though. I mean, I told Haley something in confidence, even though I knew she probably wouldn't be able to keep her mouth shut, but still. It was really disappointing to find out that she had told Rachel of all people. Oh and just so we're clear, nothing happened between me and Rachel last week. I like someone else.'_

Nathan got up when he heard the door open, ready to get some things off his chest. He ignored Rachel as she passed him on her way upstairs and walked towards Haley, 'Can we talk?'

'Yeah sure.' Haley took off her jacket and followed Nathan to the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of water and sat down at the table, 'Spill it.'

'Why did you tell her?'

Haley opened her bottle and took a sip, 'I'm sorry, what?' She'd just come from work and was way too tired to figure out what Nathan was talking about.

'Why did you tell Rachel about my Mother?'

'Oh.' Haley put her bottle down and bit her lip. Damn. This wasn't good. She thought he wanted to ask her something about work, after all she had worked in the office the first three weeks, but she wasn't expecting this. Of course she knew he would confront her about it, but she had expected that three days ago, on that Sunday, when Peyton came looking for him in the kitchen and he was up in Rachel's room. It just seemed a little late now. After all, Rachel had already apologized to her and Haley had told her it was ok, because she thought Nathan was ok with it too. But, apparently, she had been wrong.

'You know,' Nathan interrupted her thoughts, 'I really don't care about whatever pathetic, little excuse you're trying to come up with right now, because it won't do, Haley. You had no right.'

'Nathan,' Haley sighed, she knew he was right, 'I'm sorry.'

'No,' Nathan shook his head and looked at her, 'I told you something in confidence, Haley, thinking I could trust you, thinking that you would be one of the few people in this house who could keep their mouth shut and then you do this? So why don't you just _not_ talk right now, ok? Just don't.'

'I'm sorry, Nathan, I-' Haley didn't want to look at him, but she felt his eyes burning.

'Haley, _don't_.' Nathan sighed, 'Plus, you're not even really sorry about telling her. You're just sorry I found out.'

'Nathan, stop it!' Haley looked up, 'I know what I did was wrong. And I know I had no right telling Rachel, but it happened, ok? We had a drink one night and,' she sighed 'I don't why, but I told her, thinking it would help her dealing with the whole Sarah situation at work. Just, to let her know she's not the only who has to deal with these kind of things, I guess. But I never thought _she _would use it to take advantage of you and lure you into her bed.'

'This is not about Rachel, Haley,' Nathan's voice was stern; 'This is about _you_ not being able to keep your mouth shut.'

'I know,' she picked her water bottle up and started peeling the label off, 'I _know_, ok? And I really am sorry, Nathan. You have to believe me.'

Nathan leaned against the counter, 'Ok fine, I will believe that you're actually sorry, Haley. But,' he sighed, 'I just don't know if I'll ever be able to trust you again.'

Haley shrugged, 'I guess I deserve that. I just,' she looked at Nathan, 'I'm sorry.'

'Oh, am I interrupting anything?' Lucas came to a halt right in the doorway when he saw Nathan and Haley talking, 'I'll just come back later.'

'Nah, it's ok, man,' Nathan slapped him on the shoulder as he walked past Lucas, 'We were done anyway.'

Haley followed Nathan with her eyes as he walked upstairs and sighed.

'Are you ok?' Lucas grabbed an apple and sat down on the chair next to Haley.

She shrugged, 'I don't know.'

'Well, whatever it is,' Lucas patted her arm, 'I'm sure you guys will work it out.'

Haley tried to smile, 'I don't know.'

Haley_ - _'_I guess Nathan had a point on calling me out. I shouldn't have told Rachel. But on the other hand, we've been living together for what, six weeks now? So he should know by now that I blurt things out sometimes. But, you know, I really hope his angry phase will pass, because I like Nathan. Other than that little fall out, this week went by pretty fast, nothing too exciting happened. I'm still busy with the fundraiser, but I really wonder if we'll get everything done on time. Keep your fingers crossed!'_

* * *

Rachel_ - _'_Kitchen duty is great! Might even beat working in the office. Ha, now there's something I though I'd never say. Anyway, things have been kind of slow this week; I just spent most of the nights at home, relaxing. I have a couple of modeling jobs coming up next week, so I have to be completely prepared, you know. I usually end up hanging out with Haley, watching TV or playing a game of pool, or just talking. I feel kind of bad about the fight she had with Nathan, about something I did, but, you know, if it really was a big secret, she shouldn't have told me in the first place. But I already apologized to her about it, even though I still don't know why, really, because, like I said, it wasn't really my fault. But I like Haley. It's nice to have someone to talk to in the house.'_

'I'm actually quite good at cooking.' Rachel stated as she looked at the food in front of her, satisfied with how it looked.

Haley laughed, 'Rach,' she looked at her roommate with an amused look in her eyes, 'The only thing you've been doing this week is cutting vegetables. And that doesn't have much to do with cooking.'

'But I,' Rachel wanted to disagree but realized Haley had a point, 'Ok, you're right,' she sighed, 'I still suck at cooking.'

'I didn't say that,' Haley turned her attention on the big pot of boiling soup again, 'But, you might just want to cut a little more of those vegetables before we let you near the stove again. Just to practice.'

Rachel sighed and mocked, 'But I'm good with fire.'

Haley shook her head and smiled, 'We know that, hon, we've got a pan full of burned macaroni at home to prove that.'

'I didn't know you were supposed to turn the heat down once it started boiling.' Rachel sulked, but smiled, remembering that awful smell that had been floating around their kitchen and living room for two days after it happened.

'And now you do,' Haley replied, 'Which is why Virginia will let you help with the macaroni tomorrow. I told her you were an expert on the subject.'

'Very funny, Hales,' Rachel held up her knife, 'But be careful, I've got a knife and I'm not afraid to use it.'

'Girls.' Virginia shook her head as she listened to the playful banter between the two girls. She had been worried about Rachel at first, but the girl was doing a great job and Virginia thought she was a great addition to the kitchen staff.

Rachel smiled at the older woman and focused on her vegetables again. Her mind was drifting towards all the things they still had to do for the fundraiser, when her thoughts were interrupted by Lucas and Brooke walking in.

'Ladies,' Lucas smiled and gave Virginia a kiss on the cheek, 'How are you doing today?'

'Good,' Haley smiled, 'How about you?'

'Oh, we are doing great,' Brooke cut in, hooking arms with Lucas, 'We were just about to start work when we, well _I,_ thought of something else we could do for the fundraiser.'

'Really? What?' Rachel looked up from her vegetables.

'How about I customize a couple of t-shirts which we can auction off?' Brooke looked at Haley and Rachel, trying to see if they thought it was a good idea.

'Oh, please,' Rachel snorted and pointed her knife at Brooke, mocking her, 'Do you really think people will pay money for your _creations_?'

Brooke smiled sweetly, 'Well aren't you in a wonderful mood today?'

'I'm just saying, I wouldn't spend a dime on one of those.' Rachel gave Brooke a wink, to let her know she was only joking.

'Ok,' Brooke nodded and stuck out her tongue at Rachel, 'You know what? We'll just and leave you and your bitchy ego alone.'

'Good luck with her today, Hales.' Brooke waved and dragged along Lucas with her.

'Haley nodded 'Thank you.'

'Bye!' Lucas managed to get in before the door swung shut behind him.

'Why are you two always so bitchy to each other?' Haley looked at Rachel, her eyebrows furrowed.

Rachel shrugged as she went back to her vegetables, 'It's what we do.'

'Peyton?' Lucas saw her walking in the hallway, towards the office at the shelter, 'Do you think we could talk for a minute?'

'There really isn't much I want to talk about with you.' Peyton walked past Lucas, but he grabbed her hand and stopped her. She shot him a look, 'Let me go, Lucas.'

'Listen, I'm sorry, ok?' He let go of her hand and looked at her. There was no reaction from her whatsoever, so he tried again, 'I'm sorry about the fight and I'm sorry about telling you what to do.'

'Whatever.' Peyton shrugged, not at all impressed with his behavior. It had been two weeks and as far as she was concerned it was a little late for excuses.

Lucas shook his head, 'Oh, come on. I know you think you are in the right about this, but we really differ in opinion there. I guess we were both a bit too stubborn that day, not wanting to give in. But still, I'm the one apologizing here, Peyton, even though I still believe I didn't do anything wrong. So, you know, you might want to cut me some slack.'

Peyton sighed, 'This is your idea of an apology?'

Lucas looked her, wondering why she was being so difficult, 'Yes. I said I was sorry, didn't I? So, take it or leave it.'

Peyton threw her hands in the air, 'You know what? Fine. Apology accepted. And you're right, I still think that what did was wrong, but I guess you get credit for apologizing about it. I just, I will talk to you, ok? But that's it. We're not going to be friends all of a sudden. We're not in a freaking Disney movie.'

Peyton_ - _'_So, Lucas apologized. I still think he should have done it two weeks ago, but whatever. If this will ease his worried mind, then who am I to not go with it? To be honest, I still am mostly mad at myself, for letting it get this far, I should have just walked away, not letting it get to an argument. Just like I should have asked Nathan if something happened between him and Rachel. I mean, there's nothing wrong with asking that, is there? And it would give me some clarity on the subject. But no. I'd rather sit here, wondering, thinking about what might have happened, like I always do. It's quite difficult to change who you are.'_

* * *

'Chris?' Peyton knocked on his bedroom door and opened it when she heard something that sounded like a 'yes' coming from inside. She walked past Rachel's bed and smiled as she saw Chris sitting on the bed, with his guitar, trying out some new songs. 'Hey,'

Chris looked up, 'Hey, what's up, girl?'

'I've got something for you,' Peyton reached inside her pocket and took out a piece of paper, 'Here.'

'What's this?' Chris took the piece of paper and opened it. He saw a phone number on there. 'Are you my pimp now, Peyton?' He grinned, 'Hooking me up with other women?'

Peyton laughed and gave Chris a push, 'Dude, no. Ew,' she sat down next to him, 'That is the phone number of John Waters. He works for Capitol Records in L.A.'

'But,' Chris looked at Peyton, confused, 'We're in New York.'

'I know,' Peyton sighed, but smiled, 'But he's in town next week, so, you know, you might want to give him a call.'

'That is awesome!' Chris put his guitar down and gave Peyton a hug, 'Thank you.'

Peyton smiled,'No problem. Just,' she looked at Chris and grabbed his upper arms, trying to get her point across, 'Promise me you will call him? This is your chance, Chris. Your _one_ chance. Don't mess it up, ok?'

'Oh hell no,' Chris grinned, 'Chris Keller is getting his record produced, baby! Just wait and see.'

Peyton patted his knee, 'Easy there, tiger. Just call the guy first.'

'I will.' Chris picked up his guitar again and started playing one of the songs he had written while he was in New York. He could see Peyton bobbing her head after a few chords and knew that if she liked it, there was a good chance this John Waters would like it too.

Peyton got up, 'I'll let you get back to writing, Mr. Keller.' She gave Chris a little nod and was about to walk out, when his voice stopped her.

'How do you know this guy, Peyton?'

'I used to work for him.'

'Oh, ok' Chris nodded, satisfied with the answer and not really surprised; he always thought she was connected to music industry for some reason, 'Cool. Thanks again, Peyton.'

'Sure.' She closed the door behind her and walked towards her own room.

'Hey,' Nathan smiled when he saw Peyton enter. He was lying on his bed, reading a sports magazine, trying to kill some time until the next basketball game was on TV.

'Hey,' Peyton lied down on her bed and faced the wall. She still wasn't in the mood to talk to Nathan after what had happened between him and Rachel. Even though it had been a week. Of course, she didn't _really_ know what had happened, she had just assumed what did and although it absolutely was none of her business, but there was no denying that it had hurt her. She really liked Nathan and thought he liked her too, but maybe she'd thought wrong.

'Listen, Peyton?'

Nathan's voice interrupted her thoughts and as much as she wanted to, she couldn't ignore him. So she turned around and sighed, 'Yeah?'

He put the magazine down and sat up, leaning against his headboard, 'Brooke asked me the other day if I could talk to you about what happened in the bathroom. You know, between you and Lucas?'

Peyton looked at him and shook her head 'You have to be kidding me, right?' What the hell was Brooke thinking, getting Nathan involved, 'If she has something to say to me, she should say it to my face, Nathan. Not pass it through you like we're in second grade or something.' Peyton turned back and faced the wall again.

'I know.' Nathan was irritated that she wouldn't listen to what he had to say. He got up and sat down on her bed. By now he thought they were comfortable enough around each other that he could do such things, 'Just, hear me out, ok?'

Peyton bit her lip, trying to fight the urge to tell him to get off her bed. But she couldn't, so she shrugged, 'Fine.'

'Brooke really feels bad about what happened, Peyton.' he sighed. She was right, this really felt like they were in second grade again and he felt stupid. But he sort of made a promise to Brooke that he would try to talk to Peyton, 'Why don't you just go talk her? You seemed to be getting along just fine before this happened.'

Peyton took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She knew Nathan was right, but she didn't understand why everybody made her feel like this was her fault. Like she deserved to be yelled at by Lucas. And that really was why she had been so reluctant to accept Lucas' apology yesterday. Because he still made her feel like she was responsible for all of this.

'Just talk to her. And to Lucas. We still have to live together for two months, Peyton, and it's a lot more fun when we all get along.' Nathan shook his head and wondered when his moral standards had risen to the point where he was trying to make everybody get along. He tried to let Peyton know that he was on her side, by putting his hand on her arm, but she pulled away.

'Just so you know, Lucas already apologized, yesterday.' Peyton mumbled into her pillow. Goosebumps had appeared when he touched her and for a moment she enjoyed having his hand on her skin, but her mind reminded her of the fact that he had already hooked up with Rachel and that she shouldn't feel that way about him. Peyton moved so she was lying closer to wall, increasing the space between them and hoped that he would leave her alone.

'Oh. Ok. Well that's good, I guess. And I'm sorry, Peyton,' Nathan sighed and got up, 'I didn't mean to go all "negotiator" on you. I know how you hate that. But,' he lied down on his bed again and grabbed his magazine off the floor, 'Just talk to Brooke, ok? It's nice to let people in sometimes.'

Peyton clenched her fists and tried her best not to make a sarcastic comment about him letting Rachel in. She grabbed her iPod from underneath her pillow and scrolled through the albums until she had found one that would fit her mood. She put in the earplugs and listened to the songs until the outside world had disappeared.

Nathan sighed. It was frustrating when she was like this, when he wasn't able to reach her. It wasn't the first time she'd done it. It had happened a few times at work or right after work, usually after she'd heard the story of one of the homeless people. It would affect her so much that she would zone out on him a bit, like she was trying to make it all go away by getting into her own state of mind. He still hadn't figured out what exactly it was that she was doing, but it frustrated him that she didn't trust anyone enough to just talk about it.


	8. Episode 8 The seventh week

_**AN: **__Thank you so much to everyone who left a review on the last chapter!__  
__It's good to be back. I probably won't be updating every week, or every other week, but I do promise that there will be regular updates from now on :)__  
__I hope you'll enjoy this next chapter, remember those reviews and have a great, great 2010! __I wish you all the best!_

* * *

Nathan;_ 'This is the true story…'_

Brooke; _'Of seven strangers…'_

Lucas; _'Picked to live in a house…'_

Haley; _'Work together and have their lives taped…'_

Rachel; _'To find out what happens…'_

Chris; _'When people stop being polite…'_

Peyton; _'And start getting real.'_

_The Real World, New York_

* * *

'Dude,' Haley walked into the living room and sat down next to Chris, who was lying on the couch, reading a magazine, 'Why weren't you at work today?'

'Dude,' Chris mimicked her tone, without taking his eyes of the article he was reading, 'I had to sign my record deal today.'

'Chris!' Haley sat back, not believing what she'd just heard, 'That's amazing! Congratulations!'

'Thanks,' Chris shrugged and laid his magazine on his chest, now looking at Haley, smiling, 'I start recording next week.'

Haley smiled too, 'That's really great,' she patted his knee and then realized something, 'But what about the shelter?'

'I'll work something out,'

'You better,' Haley locked eyes with him, 'We really need you there and Greg's pretty pissed at you.'

'Yeah,' Chris sighed, trying to hide the fact that he had already made another decision.

Chris_ - _'_I don't know why everyone keeps harassing me about work. I mean, I know we have to work while we're on the show, but dude, I'm getting my record produced. That's way more important than some stupid homeless shelter. No offense to the homeless people, by the way. But still. So anyway, yeah, everything is dealt with and if all goes as planned, my record should be in stores in September. I still can't believe it. Chris Keller will make it. Just watch me.'_

* * *

'Nothing happened between Nathan and Rachel, Peyton.' Brooke sat down next to Peyton at the dining table and gave her an encouraging smile. She knew they still weren't talking to each other, even though Lucas had apologized last week, but Brooke thought it was time to put aside their differences, because this had been dragging on for too long. She hoped Peyton felt the same.

'Why would you say that?' Peyton kept her eyes on the drawing in front of her, not trying to show what a relief it was to hear that. She wondered why Brooke had brought it up, though, as she had never talked about her feelings for Nathan to anyone.

'Because I know a thing or two about guys,' Brooke put her hand on Peyton's arm, trying to get her attention, 'And about love and I can see that that guy is completely into you and all you do is ignore him because of something you _think_ he did.'

Peyton shrugged, not really sure if she wanted to talk to Brooke about this, 'I don't know what you're talking about.'

'Oh come on, Peyton,' Brooke sighed, frustrated that Peyton was closing off again, 'It's obvious you two have a thing for each other, because you both light up when the other walks into the room. We all see that. And from what I could see, everything was going just fine until that one night where you went out with Chris and Rachel got Nathan drunk.'

Peyton kept silent, but put her pencil down. She looked at Brooke and gave her a small smile, 'Thank you.'

Brooke smiled, 'No problem. And I'm sorry for what happened.'

'Yeah. Me too,' Peyton shook her head, 'You had nothing to do with it, I shouldn't have stayed mad at you.'

'That's ok,' Brooke pulled Peyton in for a hug, 'But promise me one thing?'

Peyton nodded as she pulled away and looked at Brooke, 'Sure. What?'

'Be nice to Nathan. He really likes you, you know.'

Peyton felt her cheeks redden and smiled, 'Ok.'

'Ok.' Brooke stood up, 'You deserve to be happy, Peyton. And Nathan's a good guy.'

Brooke_ - _'_Yeah, I talked to Peyton. I had to, because let's be honest here, she and Nathan need to get this moving. Chop, chop. They are just so perfect for each other, all dark and twisty and, you know, not a big fan of talking to anyone but each other. I think, and hope, they'll hit it off. Maybe they'll be able to lighten up a bit. That would be nice. Anyway, Lucas and I are still going strong too. We're together for almost one month now and I've got a good feeling on this. I really do.'_

* * *

'Haley?'

Haley looked up and saw Rachel standing in the door of her bedroom, 'Yeah?'

'I wanted to ask you something,' Rachel walked in and sat down on Lucas' bed, 'Would you go with me to a shoot this Friday? It's right after work and won't take long, promise.'

'Yeah, sure,' Haley smiled at Rachel, 'Why, though? You've always gone alone.'

'I know,' Rachel nodded, 'It's just, it's in Brooklyn and, I don't know, I guess it's nice having someone there.'

'Rachel,' Haley looked at her, 'If you're scared, why don't you ask Nathan or Lucas to go with you?'

'I'm not scared.' Rachel snorted.

Haley raised her eyebrow, but didn't say anything. She knew all too well about Rachel's pride.

'I'm not.' Rachel looked at Haley, knowing what the other girl was thinking about, 'Besides, I don't think Nathan will ever speak to me again after I got him drunk. And Lucas is working late, remember?'

'How about Peyton?' Haley asked, 'She seems tough.'

'Listen, if you don't want to go, that's ok, Haley.'

'No, no.' Haley got up and sat next to Rachel, putting her arm around Rachel's shoulders, 'I'll go with you, no problem.'

'Thank you.' Rachel rested her head on Haley's shoulders and smiled, glad she didn't have to go alone. Haley had been somewhat right. Not that she was scared, but she had a bad feeling about his shoot and particularly about the photographer. There were some stories going around about him. She would be paid more than usual, though, which is why she had taken the job.

Rachel_ - _'_Modeling__ is going really great! I got one job this week and two other jobs next week. I'm so glad I came to New York; there are so many new opportunities here. I asked Haley to come with me, because, to be honest, Haley is one of my closest friends here. Not that Brooke isn't, but she's just with Lucas a lot of the time. Well, most of the time, really. And I like Lucas, it's not like that, but I don't want to see them sucking face whenever I spend time with them. And like I said; I don't think Nathan wants anything to do with me anytime soon, Peyton probably neither and Chris, well, Chris is busy becoming a rock star. And we don't want to disturb him in that process, now would we?'_

* * *

'So, Brooke talked to Peyton a couple of days ago.' Lucas shot the ball through the hoop and watched as Nathan picked it up.

They were at the shelter. Things had been quiet at the office, so Nathan was done an hour early, while Lucas had to wait for Brooke, who had an appointment with Greg about the fundraiser, before they could go out on the street. They had ran into each other and decided to play a one-on-one game to kill the time.

'Yeah?' Nathan looked at Lucas, while he threw him the ball, wondering what he was talking about.

'Seems like Peyton was worried you and Rachel were hooking up.' Lucas jumped up as he shot the ball through the hoop once more.

'Oh.' Nathan picked the ball up and traded places with Lucas. All of a sudden his mind made the connection and he realized that that must have been the reason why Peyton had been so distant last week, 'Oh.'

'Yeah, "oh" alright.' Lucas grinned, 'She likes you, man.'

'I don't know about that, Luke.' Nathan made another shot, trying to hide how surprised he was when he heard Lucas say Peyton liked him. He had liked her ever since they met that first day and for a while he thought the feeling was mutual, until she started to ignore him two weeks ago. But if it only was because she _thought_ he had hooked up with Rachel, they should be alright.

'Sure you do.' Lucas said, smiling.

Lucas_ - _'_Sometimes it feels like Nathan and I are brothers. I can tell, just by the look on his face, what he's thinking, which is why I gave him that little info on Peyton. I can tell he's into her and he just needs a little push in the right direction. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm still not Peyton's biggest fan, but everyone deserves a little happiness, right? Speaking of happiness, Brooke and I have our one-month anniversary next week and I plan on taking her out. I just have to figure out where to take her, because knowing Brooke, a simple Italian restaurant won't do. Maybe I should ask Rachel for a little help. Or Haley. She's good at that kind of stuff too.'_

* * *

'Hi, guys.' Haley closed the front door behind her and kicked of her shoes. It was good to be home from work again and even better that it was Thursday already, which meant only one more day before the weekend would start.

'Hi.' Both Nathan and Peyton replied. Nathan was stretched out on one couch, watching a basketball game on TV, while Peyton was sitting on the other couch, working on the artwork for the fundraiser.

Haley grabbed a bottle of water from the kitchen before she sat down next to Peyton. She still felt uncomfortable around Nathan, after their big fight last week, but at least he was talking to her again, so she figured she might as well give her idea a shot. She looked at the sketch Peyton was drawing, 'Looks good, Peyton.'

Peyton smiled, 'Thank you.'

'So, listen,' Haley looked at Peyton and Nathan to see if she got their attention. Peyton looked at her and Nathan nodded, while keeping his eyes on the game, so she continued, 'It's Lucas' birthday next Sunday and I was thinking about throwing him a party. I wondered if you maybe wanted to help.'

'Sure,' Nathan muted the TV and sat up, 'What do you have in mind?'

Haley shrugged, 'I don't know. That's what I came to you two for, really. I was thinking either dinner with just the seven of us, or a party with tons of people.'

Nathan thought about the two options, 'I think Lucas is more of a dinner kind of guy.'

'Yeah,' Peyton agreed, 'That sounds more like Lucas than a big party.'

'Great,' Haley sat back, 'So can I count on you to help me make dinner then?'

Peyton nodded 'Sure.'

'Of course.' Nathan gave her a small smile and turned the sound back on. Sure, he still was mad at Haley, but there was no reason to not talk to her. Plus, he considered Lucas his friend, which is why he had agreed to help. He focused on the game again, while the two girls chatted about what they would make and how they would organize the whole thing.

Nathan_ - _'_So now we're organizing Lucas' birthday like nothing ever happened and like Haley and I never had a fight. You know what? Whatever. Luke's a good guy and I'll just let Peyton do the talking with Haley, while I tag along. I'm sure they want me to help them carry groceries or something. Yeah, so Peyton's talking to me again. Well, sort of anyway. I'm still thinking about what Luke told me, you know, that she supposedly likes me. I really don't know what to do with that. I mean, I like her and I would like to be with her, I just don't know if now is the right time and place. Maybe when the show is over. _

* * *

'Peyton?' Greg stood in the doorway of the office, leaning against the doorpost.

'Yeah?' Peyton looked up and saw the worried look in his eyes.

'Do you know where Chris is?'

Peyton shrugged, 'I don't know, Greg. At home, or in the recording studio. Not here, anyway.'

'Yeah. I've noticed that,' Greg shook his head, 'Can you tell him to contact the producers of the show as soon as possible? They want to talk to him.'

'Sure.' Peyton nodded and watched as her boss walked away. She turned to Nathan, 'I think we've just lost Chris as a roommate.'

Nathan shrugged, 'Yeah.'

'You don't like Chris that much, do you?' Peyton laughed at Nathan's indifference towards the subject.

'Well,' Nathan thought about the question for a moment, 'No.'

'Why not?'

'It's just,' Nathan sighed, 'The guy is just too much of everything, you know?'

'I think he's a good guy,' Peyton replied, 'He just doesn't know it yet.'

Peyton_ - _'_What I said about Chris is true; he really is a good guy. It's just that his head and heart are so filled with music that it's hard for him to focus on anything else. I can relate to that. In fact, I was like that before I came to New York. I used to work for a record label in L.A. and basically all my time was consumed by work. I was always either at the office or in the clubs, looking for bands to sign. Eventually it got the best of me and the love for music started to disappear. That's when I knew I had to take a break. When I read about auditions for The Real World, it couldn't have come at a better time. I'm so glad I made that decision.'_

* * *

'Shouldn't you be at work?' Rachel walked past Chris who was sitting at the kitchen table, with pieces of paper scattered in front of him and his guitar on his lap. She opened the fridge and grabbed a can of soda. She was surprised to see him sitting here when he should have started work three hours ago.

Chris looked up, 'I really have to finish these songs, so we can start recording next week.'

Rachel leaned against the counter and opened her soda, taking a sip before she looked at Chris, 'But isn't this, like, the third time you're not at work?'

Chris shrugged, 'What are they going to do? _Fire_ me?'

Rachel scoffed, 'I believe that that _is_ what they are going to do, Chris. Don't you remember what Greg told you when you missed the first day at work?'

'Don't show up three times and you're fired?' Chris said, with a grin. He picked up his pencil and wrote down some words.

'Bingo,' Rachel shook her head when she saw Chris obviously didn't care; it was like he wanted to get kicked off the show. 'And didn't you miss another shift this week already?'

'Maybe,' Chris smiled and put his pencil down, 'Listen, Rachel, I really appreciate that you care about Chris Keller and his work, but Chris Keller _really_ wants to get this album produced and on the market.'

'Fine,' Rachel sighed, 'I give up. But don't say I didn't warn you.'

'I won't,' Chris focused on his chords again, 'I might even write you a song.'

Well, wooptidoo,' Rachel shook her head and grabbed her purse, 'I'm off to work, see you later, Keller!'

* * *

'Hi Hales,' Lucas said as he walked into the kitchen at the shelter, 'Do you have any food left-over?'

'Sure,' Haley pointed towards the table, 'It's over there.'

'Thanks.' Lucas grabbed a plate and helped himself to some mashed potatoes, beans and meatballs before he sat down. He was hungry. He had been out on the streets since four this afternoon and he and Brooke had decided they could use a little break, so they went back to the shelter to get some food. He had already proceeded to the kitchen, while Brooke was getting some extra blankets to hand out. Lucas looked at Haley, 'How's the fundraiser coming along?'

Haley shrugged, 'Very slowly. I could really use some help.'

'I tell you what,' Lucas pointed at her with his fork, 'If you help me tonight after you finish your shift, I'll help you with the fundraiser.'

'Why do you need my help?' Haley put down the potatoes she was peeling and wiped her hands on her apron. She walked over to Lucas and sat down, 'You and Brooke seem to manage just fine.'

'Yeah, but Brooke has to go to help out at another shelter across town in an hour, so I could really use an extra pair of hands.' Lucas smiled at Haley, 'What do you say?'

'It's just,' Haley sighed, 'I was supposed to go to this photo shoot with Rachel.'

'I'm sure she'll understand.'

'Yeah,' Haley nodded, 'I guess you're right. Ok, I'll come with you.'

'Great.' Lucas gave her a wink and finished his dinner.

Haley_ - _'_I feel really guilty about not going with Rachel, but to be honest, I think work is more important. Besides, she goes to these shoots alone all the time, why not now? Brooklyn isn't that bad and she can just take a cab home. Anyway, I can't believe we're already halfway with the show. Time is going by so fast, it's unbelievable. So far, this has been a great experience and I don't regret coming here at all. And I really hope the next six weeks will be just as good as these seven have already been.' _

'Haley, pick up,' Rachel listened to the dialing tone of her phone and sighed when it went to voicemail. Again. It made her mad. After all, Haley had promised her she would come, but she never got home from work. Rachel shrugged and grabbed her coat. For a moment she debated whether or not she should ask Peyton to come with her, but decided she could do this alone.

* * *

_**AN**__: I don't want you guys to get confused, so Lucas talking about how it sometimes feels like he and Nathan are brothers, that's just a little joke as a reference to the show. In this story, they are not related. _


	9. Episode 9 The eighth week

_**AN:**__Thank you to all who left a review on the last chapter! It's good to know you all are still following this lil' story :)__  
__Also, I'm sorry for the long wait. I really hope you'll like this chapter, please let me know what you think!_

* * *

Nathan; _'This is the true story…'_

Brooke; _'Of seven strangers…'_

Lucas; _'Picked to live in a house…'_

Haley; _'Work together and have their lives taped…'_

Rachel; _'To find out what happens…'_

Chris; _'When people stop being polite…'_

Peyton; _'And start getting real.'_

_The Real World, New York_

* * *

Haley_ - __'I really didn't mean for this to happen. Really. I know I should have called Rachel, but I figured she could handle this on her own. To be honest, I was pretty surprised that she didn't seem that mad at me. I expected a full on silence treatment, but she was quite alright about it. But still, I should have called.'_

'I am so ready to get some sleep.' Haley took off her coat and waited until Lucas and Brooke were inside before she closed the front door.

'Thanks again for helping out tonight, Hales,' Lucas smiled at her, 'I couldn't have done it without you. Not in a reasonable time, anyway.'

'No problem,' Haley smiled back at him, 'I just hope Rachel isn't too mad at me.'

A snort came from the living room, 'You think?'

Haley raised an eyebrow at the comment, turned around and walked into the living room, where she found Chris and Nathan sitting on the couch, both looking pretty upset.

'What happened?'

'Rachel called earlier tonight,' Nathan began, 'Asking if anyone could come pick her up, because she thought someone was following her.'

'Peyton answered the phone,' Chris continued in a less angry tone, 'And when she realized Rachel wasn't kidding, she went to help her.'

'Without asking Chris or me to come along,' Nathan shook his head, 'Probably because I told her I was pretty tired and wanted to have a quiet night, I don't know.'

'And I was,' Chris hesitated to tell where he had really been, so he generalized it a bit, 'Busy talking to someone. So she went alone.'

'What happened?' Haley felt a knot forming in her stomach, knowing this wasn't going to end well.

'Well,' Nathan sighed, 'Rachel is fine. Turns out that guy following her was just one of the assistants from the shoot who came after her because she forgot her coat.'

'Oh good,' Haley sighed with relief. Then she realized something, 'And Peyton?'

'_Peyton_ is at the hospital,' Nathan shot Haley a look, 'When she got off the subway, someone robbed her and took her iPod. Apparently the guy pushed her and she fell, hitting her head on the curb. Because of some strange coincidence, Rachel found her just a couple of minutes later, when she was walking to the same subway to go home.'

'Is Peyton alright?' Brooke piped from behind Haley, having heard the entire story and being incredibly worried about her roommate.

Chris shrugged, 'She was bleeding from her head when Rachel found her, so she called an ambulance right before she called us. She said she would call again when they were on their way home.'

'Yeah,' Nathan took a shaky breath, worried about Peyton and everything taking so long, 'She probably has to file a police report too, so it might take a while. I don't know.'

'Probably,' Brooke nodded.

'I'm sure she'll be fine.' Lucas joined in. He put his arm around Brooke shoulders and kissed her temple, to let her know he was there for her.

'God,' Haley's voice was shaky, 'I should have called Rachel.'

'It's not your fault, Haley.' Chris looked at her and tried to smile, 'It could have happened to you too.'

'Yeah, but Rachel asked me to come with her and if I would have, then she wouldn't have called because she thought she was being followed and Peyton wouldn't have gone to help her and,'

'Hales,' Brooke put her hand on her arm, 'Don't beat yourself up over this, ok? I'm sure Rachel and Peyton don't blame you.'

Haley gave Brooke a faint smile, 'Thank you.'

* * *

'Are you ok?' Rachel asked as she opened the front door to the house.

'Rachel,' Peyton tried to smile, but stopped when she felt a sharp pain in her head, 'You have asked that every five minutes since we left the hospital. I'm fine.'

'I know,' Rachel held the door open and let Peyton pass her, 'But I feel really guilty about what happened.'

'Don't.' Peyton took of her jacket and kicked off her shoes. She turned around and looked at Rachel, 'It wasn't your fault, ok?'

Rachel nodded and followed Peyton to the living room. She wasn't surprised when she found their five roommates waiting for them. Brooke and Lucas shared a couch, with Brooke sleeping, her head resting against Lucas' shoulder. Lucas gently nudged her and Brooke woke up. Nathan and Chris were sitting next to each other, both looking equally worried. It made Rachel smile a little, because she never thought she would see those two sitting on the same couch. Haley was pacing through the room and looked up when she heard Rachel and Peyton coming in.

'I am_ so_ sorry.' Haley walked toward the two girls, 'I should have called you, Rachel.'

'Yeah, you should have.' Rachel walked past her and sat down next to Chris.

'It's ok, Haley.' Peyton gave her a little nod, 'This isn't your fault.' She looked at Rachel who shrugged and Peyton tried to let her know by shaking her head that she didn't want Rachel to hold grudges against Haley.

'Fine,' Rachel mouthed and sat back.

'Peyton,' Haley sighed and shook her head.

'No. Haley.' Peyton paused when she felt another wave of pain going through her head. She took a deep breath and continued, 'If it's anyone's fault, it's that son of a bitch who took my iPod and pushed me to the ground after I verbally abused him.'

'What?' Nathan got up and stood next to Peyton. He had noticed she looked very pale and didn't want her to faint, so he put his arm around her waist, 'You did what?'

'I may have called him a couple of things,' Peyton said with a smug smile, 'But he deserved it.'

Nathan shook his head at her attitude, but glad she still was feisty as ever.

'I probably shouldn't have,' Peyton continued, 'Because that's when he came back and pushed me. Had I not, he probably would have walked away without hurting me.

'That's my girl.' Chris said, smiling. He got up as well and gave her a wink, 'Glad to hear you're ok, blondie. I'm off to bed.'

Brooke and Lucas followed his example, but not before Brooke had given Peyton a hug, 'I'm glad to hear you're ok, we were worried about you.'

'Thank you.' Peyton gave both of them a faint smile.

'If you don't mind,' Rachel looked at Peyton as well, 'I'm going to sleep as well, Peyton. It's 2 in the morning and I'm dead tired.'

'Of course not,' Peyton let go of Nathan and gave Rachel a hug, 'And it_ really _wasn't your fault, Rachel, nor was it Haley's.'

Rachel smiled at Peyton and gave her a little nod before she went upstairs. She still felt guilty, because if she just would have called a cab home, like the photographer suggested, nothing would have happened. But she knew Peyton was right and that there was no reason at all to be mad at Haley.

'Let's get you upstairs,' Nathan said as he put his arm around her waist again, 'You probably need some rest.'

'Haley,' Peyton's voice was serious when she looked at her roommate, who was still standing in front of her, 'Promise me you don't keep blaming yourself for this?'

Haley nodded, 'I promise.'

'Ok,' Peyton nodded, 'Good night.'

'Night.'

'Come on.' Nathan supported Peyton as they were walking up the stairs.

Peyton smiled at his concern. The doctors had told her she'd be just fine and that there was nothing to worry about. But she didn't have the heart to tell him she could walk upstairs on her own just fine.

'Just so you know,' Nathan said when he carefully put her down on her bed, 'I think those stitches above your eyebrow make you look like a badass and totally hot.'

Peyton blushed at his remark, not quite knowing how to react. She gave him a faint smile, 'Just make sure to wake me every two hours, ok?'

'Will do.'

Nathan_ - __'I have never been so worried in my life. Had it not been for Chris, I would have gone to the hospital straight away. But he told me that there was nothing more I could do than sit there and wait for Peyton to be examined and take her home, something Rachel already was doing. I really hope they catch the bastard who did this to her. I can tell she's pretty upset about it, even though she acts like she's fine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go wake her up again.'_

* * *

'Chef,' Chris grinned and shook Lucas' hand, referring to the nickname he had given Lucas when he was on kitchen duty, 'Take care.'

'You too,' Lucas nodded.

'Brooke,' Chris held out his arms and smiled when Brooke reluctantly gave him a hug, 'Come on, show Chris Keller some love.'

Brooke shook her head, 'Chris Keller better take care of himself.'

'Chris Keller will.' Chris smiled and let go of her. He gave Nathan a nod, 'Nate, take care of Peyton for me, will you?'

'Of course,' Nathan nodded.

'Haley,' Chris gave her a hug, 'Promise me you will try to get your music recorded?'

Haley nodded, fighting her tears, 'I will.'

'Good.' Chris smiled and turned to give Rachel a hug.

'Chris Keller,' she said with a smile, 'Go make history out there.'

He kissed Rachel's cheek and let go of her. Last of the roommates was Peyton, 'Blondie.'

Peyton smiled, 'Chris.' She gave him a hug, 'Make sure your album is the best you can do, ok?'

'Yes ma'am.' He kissed her forehead and spoke quietly, 'I will miss you.'

Peyton nodded and let go of him. She stood next to Nathan and watched as Chris grabbed his bags.

Chris opened the front door and looked at his roommates one last time. True, they were a motley crew, but they had had some great times together. He gave them a quick wink and walked outside, 'Chris Keller's work here is done.'

Chris_ - __'My two months here on the show were good. Yeah. Chris Keller had a good time. But now it's time for Chris Keller to make some music. If I have some last words for the roommates? Sure: Don't do anything Chris Keller _would_ do.'_

* * *

The six roommates were gathered in Greg's office, already knowing what it was he wanted to tell them. They knew this was just to make things official.

'The reason I asked everyone to come here this early on Monday morning,' Greg hesitated for a second and looked at the six people standing in front of him. They had come such a long way in such a short amount of time and he couldn't help but feel proud. Despite of that, he had to give them a sad message today and he wasn't sure how he should tell them. He gave a faint smile, trying to reassure them and cleared his throat, 'Is that Chris won't be a part of this group anymore. He has been asked to leave the show last Friday.'

Rachel nodded. Although she really liked Chris, she could never really understand why he was so against working here and why he would be so careless about showing up, when he knew it could cost him his place on the show.

Lucas sighed, still not really knowing how he should feel about this. He never really got along with Chris, so part of him didn't mind that he had left, but part of him felt bad that, as a group, hadn't been able to handle Chris. Most of all, he just felt bad for Greg and Linda.

'I'm sorry, guys,' Greg sighed and shrugged, not knowing what else to say. He grabbed a bunch papers from his desk and quickly read what was on them. He looked at the group again. 'The producers informed me,' he held up the papers, 'That there will be a new roommate coming your way, but that it might take a while.'

Linda gave Greg a little nod and then faced the group, 'Greg and I have discussed if there's anything that should be changed, work wise, now that Chris is gone, but we have decided that all groups will stay as they are. When the new roommate arrives, we'll see how it works out. For now, you just continue as it is.'

Peyton smiled of relief. She liked working with Nathan and by now they had gotten to know each other so well, that working together was effortless. She glanced at Nathan and saw him flashing his familiar grin at her, assuring her that he felt the same way. She would miss Chris though, but knew he had to take this chance. In a way she felt responsible for what had happened; introducing him to John, which resulted in Chris signing with the label last week, but she also knew she had done her best to prevent him leaving the show. She had even asked John to re-schedule the recording sessions until after the show was over, something he had hesitantly agreed to. But there was no stopping Chris. He wanted to record his album and he wanted to do it right now, afraid that the opportunity would be taken away if he waited too long.

'We're sorry that some of you had to come in so early,' Linda smiled towards Lucas and Brooke, 'But we hope that you all will continue to work here with the same enthusiasm you have been showing over the last 6 weeks.'

Greg leaned against his desk, 'Does anyone have any questions?'

Haley slowly raised her hand, 'I just wondered what we will do about the fundraiser,' she looked at her roommates, 'Chris never told me if he had found other artists to perform and with him not here anymore to perform, we sort of have to start all over again.'

'Yeah,' Peyton joined in, 'I'd probably have to make new flyers and posters, but that shouldn't be a problem. I should have them done by the end of this week.'

'Good,' Linda smiled at Peyton, before she looked at Haley, 'I'm sure we'll figure it out, Haley. Don't worry about it, ok? There are still three weeks left.'

'Three weeks,' Haley mocked, while she shook her head. She wished she had been more on Chris' case about the fundraiser. Now she would have to find three new artists that would want to perform and they still had to figure out the rest of the program.

'Listen,' Brooke took a step forward and turned around, so she could look at her roommates, 'Why don't we get together this Saturday and see what we come up with?' She smiled when she saw Rachel shaking her head, 'I know it's our day off, but come on, we can do this together!'

'Thanks, Brooke.' Haley smiled, not missing Rachel's reaction. She was glad most of her roommates were willing to help. For some reason, she felt like she was the only one who was responsible for organizing the entire event, which, of course, wasn't true. But to see everyone agreeing on helping out made Haley feel a lot better.

'Ok,' Linda clapped her hands, 'I hate to break up this pep-rally, but we should probably get back to work by now.'

Lucas looked at his watch and saw they still had four hours before their shift would start. He put his arm around Brooke's shoulders, 'Want to go grab lunch in the park? My treat.'

Brooke nodded, 'Of course.' She put her arm around his waist and waved at her roommates, 'See you tonight, guys!'

'Bye!' Haley waved back at Brooke and Lucas and followed Rachel back to the kitchen and Virginia. She put her apron on and washed her hands, 'I can't believe Chris really got himself kicked off the show.'

Rachel shrugged, 'He's got a record deal now, Haley. That's all that matters as far as he's concerned.'

* * *

Lucas_ - 'Yeah, I asked for Haley's help, because, really, I have no idea what to do. I mean, I have celebrated anniversaries before, but Brooke's something else. I know she wants something special. Obviously, dinner and a movie won't cut it. So I thought Haley, who is also a woman, could help with that. I wonder what she'll come up with.'_

'Hales?' Lucas sat down at the kitchen table, where Haley was reading a magazine, 'Can I ask you something?'

'Sure,' Haley looked up and smiled, 'Just don't ask me to work late again, ok?'

'Ok,' Lucas chuckled, 'No, actually; it's Brooke and mine's one-month anniversary this Sunday and I wondered if you could help come up with something we could do to celebrate?'

'Sunday, huh?' Haley asked in shock, 'On the same day as your birthday?'

'Yeah,' Lucas nodded, 'Strange coincidence, right? Anyway, do you have any idea of what she would like to do?'

'Not right away,' Haley said, hesitating, 'Can I get back to you about that?'

'Sure,' Lucas got up, 'We still have four days left.'

'Exactly.' Haley sighed and watched him walk out of the kitchen. She would have to talk to Brooke and tell her about the plans for Lucas' birthday. Otherwise the entire dinner would turn into gumbo.

* * *

'Rach?' Brooke said, as she saw Rachel walking past her room.

'Yeah?' Rachel popped her head in.

'Would you switch rooms with me and Lucas?'

'Why?' Rachel stepped into Brooke's bedroom and looked around, judging the bedroom.

'Well, cause we,' Brooke sighed, 'You know, we don't have a lot of privacy sharing a room with Haley.'

Rachel smirked, 'You mean you want to have sex?'

'No!' Brooke shook her head, but gave in when she saw Rachel's smile, 'Ok. Yes. I do. A lot.'

'You poor thing,' Rachel put her arm around Brooke shoulders, 'And now you want me to give up my big, beautiful room, which I have had all to myself since Monday and which I might be sharing it with a hot guy pretty soon and go sleep with Haley, just so you guys can have sex?'

'Yeah,' Brooke shrugged.

'So not going to happen,' Rachel let go of Brooke and walked out on the hall again, towards her own room.

'Rachel, come on! It's our anniversary three days from now and I really want to, you know, pay him a little special attention if you know what I mean?' Brooke walked after Rachel, trying to get her to listen.

'Ew. No. I don't want to hear about that, Brooke. God, just ask Haley to wear earplugs, or something.' Rachel giggled, 'It's kind of kinky when you think about it. Maybe Lucas is into that too. You know, since it's your anniversary and all.'

'Ew. You have a sick mind, Rachel Gattina.'

'Thank you.' Rachel said, before she closed the door of her bedroom.

Brooke shrugged and turned around, walking back to her room. She was not giving up, just thinking about another way to handle this.

Rachel_ - __'Brooke wanted me to switch rooms so she could have a room alone with Lucas. Yeah. I don't think so. Like I said, for all I know our new roommate will be a really hot guy and I'll get to share a room with him, if you know what I mean. Of course, if our new roommate turns out to be ugly, or, you know, a girl, I might consider switching rooms after all. But for now, I'm good.'_

'Don't you think it's funny they won't ask us?' Peyton said after both Rachel and Brooke had returned to their rooms and the hall was quiet again. She was sure Nathan had heard the conversation about switching rooms and looked at him. He was lying on his bed, throwing a basketball in the air and catching it again.

'What?'

'Well, if Brooke and Lucas want to have a room so badly,' Peyton sat up, 'Why don't they just ask us to switch rooms? I mean, we could share with Haley, right?'

'I guess.' Nathan shrugged. To be honest, he was glad Brooke hadn't asked them. He liked sharing a room with just Peyton. Plus, he still was kind of mad at Haley for what happened to Peyton and because she had told Rachel about his mother. To be honest, he didn't think Haley and he would ever be friends again, if that was what they were before she spilled his secret.

'Yeah,' Peyton leaned her head against the wall behind her bed. She really hoped Brooke wouldn't ask them, though. It wasn't that she didn't like Haley, but she was happy with the way things were. Not only because Nathan and she were on the same shift, which meant she didn't have to worry about being quiet when getting up, because they usually got up at the same time. But also because she really liked Nathan and started to get to know him better each day, usually from the conversations they'd have right before they went to sleep. Peyton decided not to offer Brooke to switch.

'Even if we would agree to switch,' Nathan put his basketball down and got up. He sat down next to Peyton, also resting his head against the wall, 'I don't think Haley would be up for that.'

Peyton smiled, 'Yeah, I think you're right. I think she'd rather share with Rachel than with us. It would just be too much for her to be in one room with us after everything that has happened.'

'Peyton,' Nathan said his voice serious but his eyes smiling, 'It would be too much for me too.'

Peyton smiled and shook her head, 'You know, when we started here I really thought we would all get along, but I guess some of us are just too different from each other.' She shrugged, 'And you know what? I really don't mind all that much. I mean,' she looked at Nathan, 'I know I said I came here to try to open up to people and make some new friends, but if this is how it's going to be, I'm fine with that.'

'I know,' Nathan agreed, 'It's not that I don't like them, it's just that I don't see myself being friends with them after the show is over.'

'Yeah,' Peyton nodded, although she felt sad about what Nathan had said. She really thought there was more between them, but to hear that he didn't even want to be friends with her after the show was over, well, that hurt. His voice interrupted her thoughts.

'Except for one.' Nathan looked at her and put his hand under her chin, making Peyton look at him, 'I really hope to still see you once the show is over, Peyton.'

Peyton was surprised when he touched her. Nathan would throw his arm around her shoulders from time to time, but as far as physical contact went, that was it. So to say this was a welcome surprise, was an understatement. And all she could do was nod.

'Good,' Nathan smiled and leaned in closer, before he kissed her gently. He smiled when she answered his kiss by opening her mouth.

Peyton_ - __'Nathan takes good care of me. _Really_ good care, if you know what I mean. He really is a good guy and I like spending time with him. It's as simple as that. We'll see where it goes, because I don't want to rush anything. But I do know that I really, really like him. So, we'll see.'_

* * *

'Brooke?' Haley walked into the kitchen where she found Brooke making breakfast.

'Yeah?' Brooke looked up and smiled at her roommate.

'I eh,' Haley took a deep breath, 'Lucas asked me if I could help him with organizing your anniversary this Sunday-'

'Really?' Brooke interrupted, 'What has he planned? Tell me.'

'I don't know,' Haley shook her head, 'It's just, it's his birthday too and eh, we kind of have this surprise dinner party planned for him.'

'Who's "we"?' Brooke put her sandwich on a plate and sat down at the kitchen table.

'Nathan, Peyton and I.'

'Why didn't you ask me to help?' Brooke said, disappointed. She threw Haley an angry look.

'Because we wanted it to be a surprise,' Haley shot back, referring to Brooke's inability to keep secrets. 'But listen, we have everything planned for this dinner already and it would be a shame if he would miss it because you guys are out celebrating your anniversary. So I wondered if you could help me out here.'

'So now I get to help?' Brooke asked, still upset that they hadn't asked her from the beginning. After all, Lucas was _her_ boyfriend, 'When it looks like your big 'surprise' will go to waste? Yeah, I don't think so.'

'Oh come on, Brooke,' Haley sighed, frustrated, 'It's his birthday. I'm sure we can work something out.'

Brooke shrugged and took a bite of her sandwich 'What did you have in mind?'

Haley gave her a faint smile, glad that she at least seemed willing to help, 'I was thinking you two could do something fun during the day and you could take him home on time for dinner. That way you'll still be able to celebrate your anniversary.'

'I'll think about it.'

'Fine.' Haley shook her head, reluctantly giving in.

'Fine.' Brooke mimicked her tone, 'I'll let you know on Saturday.'

'Ok.' Haley gave her a little nod and grabbed a bottle of water before she headed toward the living room. She didn't understand why Brooke had to be so difficult about this, but she hoped they would be able to work things out. It would be really sad to see the dinner party go to waste.

Brooke_ - __'Fine, I'll admit it; I was pretty hurt when I found out Haley was planning a surprise party for Lucas without asking me to help. I mean, come on, I'm his girlfriend. Plus, I think I would be able to keep this a secret, right? I didn't want to admit it to her, but I actually think it's a pretty cool idea. And like she said; we could do something fun during the day and then show up in time for the party. Now I just have to figure out what we could do.'_


End file.
